Musée Archéologique Saint-Laurent, Grenoble, Rhone-Alpes, France
The church of Saint Laurent contains in its basement archaeological remains, this major site shows nearly two thousand years of history of the city, early Christian times in the medieval priory. The eastern crypt Saint-Oynand which is under the church, was discovered in 1803 by Jacques Joseph Champollion, brother of the Egyptologist, and obtains its classification as historical monuments.
Decipher the history of Grenoble A major heritage site in Europe, the Grenoble Saint-Laurent Archaeological Museum (MAG), in the heart of one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
The archaeological excavation since 1978 of the Saint-Laurent church in Grenoble has brought to light a whole funerary complex (nine Gallo-Roman mausoleums, funerary churches, more than 1500 tombs and more than 3000 objects, bone combs, pins shroud, coins, pottery, rings, crucifixes and other rosaries, deposited in burials or lost in the occupation layers) plus the oratory Saint Oyand (crypt), adorned with a colonnade of the early Middle Ages, located under the Romanesque chevet (XIIth century) of the Saint-Laurent Priory Church is the best preserved part, one of the very precious and rare witnesses of the art of the High Middle Ages in France. The mausoleums of the Gallo-Roman era, the Romanesque church whose latest refurbishment dates back to the early twentieth century,
Closed in August 2003 for security reasons, the site has since been the subject of preventive excavations, renovations and compliance. From the first mausoleums of the necropolis of the fourth century to the church of the nineteenth century, Saint-Laurent unveils today a fascinating architectural millefeuille, a reflection of a constant adaptation to the evolution of mentalities, pagan practices to Christian beliefs. An original and spectacular scenography with a focus on digital technologies (3D simulations, large format projections, interactive kiosks, etc.) reinforces the evocative power of archaeological remains: a true renaissance for this exceptional site, which bears witness to nearly twenty centuries of ‘history of the city. If the fame of Saint-Laurent is acquired, especially thanks to the Saint-Oyand crypt, one of the few and very precious remains of the High Middle Ages in France, listed as a historic monument since 1850, the whole site has long attracted the interest of many specialists.
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