Musee des Tapisseries (Tapestry Museum), Aix-en-Provence

The Musée des Tapisseries is set inside the former Archbishop’s Palace, a 17th-century building once used by church leaders. Opened as a museum in 1909, it still keeps its original layout, with high ceilings and wide halls. The exterior is simple, while the interior includes more detailed features such as a large corner staircase. In early summer, the courtyard is used as an open-air stage during the opera festival.

The museum mainly displays tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries, including well-known series. The Grotesques (around 1689) stands out for its playful scenes with dancers, acrobats, and animals like camels and elephants. The Russian Games (1769), designed by Jean-Baptiste Leprince, shows scenes of rural life in Russia, including dancing and outdoor meals. Many of these works were produced in major French workshops such as Gobelins and Beauvais.

The building is sometimes linked to painter Paul Cézanne, but he did not study here. He attended the municipal drawing school located in the Musée Granet, within the former Priory of Malta. His main artistic sites in the area include his studio at Les Lauves, the Jas de Bouffan estate, and the Bibémus quarries. Today, the museum also presents modern textile works, along with stage costumes and set designs from opera productions.