Inaugurated on 5 October 2013, the aim of the Maison des Lumières is to present Diderot and his precursors, the Enlightenment movement in which he participated and his posterity. The aim is to encourage visitors to construct their own perception of the 18th century. The museum tour is organised around more than 250 original works (paintings, sculptures, handwritten letters, objects, etc.) that help visitors discover Diderot, his century and his major work, the Encyclopédie. Four major themes are explored:
"From Denis to Diderot", reflecting the formative years of the philosopher,
"Denis Diderot, man of the Enlightenment", focusing on the ideas and discoveries of the century,
"Diderot and the arts": the Salons and art criticism, theatre, music, etc.
"The Encyclopaedia
The tour begins with an evocation of the Langrois and Parisian context of Diderot's early years, then focuses on 18th-century France before finally taking on an international dimension with the philosopher's travels in Europe and Russia. The Encyclopédie at the end of the tour gives due prominence to the work that occupied some thirty years of Diderot's life, between 1746 and 1776. This section looks at the material production of the Encyclopédie, as well as its content, through various examples of the trades described in the work (cutlery, earthenware, etc.). It also pays tribute to the 200 or so authors who contributed to the 35 volumes that make up the Encyclopaedia and its supplements (21 volumes of text, 12 volumes of plates and 2 volumes of tables).
The Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot presents works and documents relating to Diderot and the 18th century, from the collections of the town of Langres. So it's in Langres and nowhere else that you'll be able to discover some real treasures.
HOTEL VALTIER DE CHOISEUL DIT DU BREUIL DE SAINT-GERMAIN
Historic monument - Late 16th century.
In 1576, Sébastien Valtier de Choiseul acquired a vast plot of land and had a town house built on it. The main building, with its turret overlooking the square, has a rusticated base. The facade overlooking the courtyard is symmetrical: the decoration is mainly concentrated on the doorway, which features a plethora of Mannerist themes that were very much in vogue at the end of the 16th century. Pitted or diamond-pointed bosses, enguirlanded colonnettes, horns and vases of plenty, an arched pediment and lion's heads all contribute to enlarging the modest doorway. Around 1770, Philippe Profilet de Dardenay transformed the perpendicular wing, giving it a new facade with the same proportions as the Renaissance wing. A central forebody is highlighted by a slight recess, a French window, an oculus and a pediment. The decoration is completed by two garlands of flowers, two busts on consoles and a terracotta medallion perhaps representing the owner at the time. Around the same time, the hotel received its boundary wall and gate. In the 19th century, the Du Breuil de Saint-Germain family added the dormer windows, taken from other Renaissance buildings.
Special rates for schoolchildren.
Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot
