Garden of the Fine Arts Museum

Welcome to the beautiful garden of the Museum of Fine Arts in Tours, located in the former episcopal palace of the city. Indeed, The bishops were housed near the cathedral in an ancient palace dating back to the 4th century. This monument, very ancient, was transformed during the construction of the cathedral, and was enlarged and modified several times over the centuries. During the French Revolution, the palace became public property and was repurposed as a theater, a school, and then a library, before being decreed as the repository for artworks seized during the Revolution. The beginnings of its transformation were laid. Under the Empire, the church reclaimed the premises, and it was only in 1910 that the city acquired the building and definitively transformed it into the Museum of Fine Arts. The site itself is of notable historical importance, as its underground passages conceal an inscription engraved in stone, glorifying the Turones of ancient Caesarodunum. The museum is classified as a historical monument and houses some of the richest collections in France. Here, you will discover works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Delacroix, Degas, Monet, and Rodin, among others. In the gardens, don’t miss the opportunity to admire the imposing cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1804, whose branches stretch over an area of more than 600 square meters.