Musée du Pays Châtillonnais:the Vix treasure and archaeology

In brief: the Musee du Pays Chatillonnais, a certified Musee de France, displays the famous Tresor de Vix (208 kg Greek bronze krater, 480 g gold torc) along with archaeological collections covering 3,000 years of Chatillonnais history, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.

Located in Chatillon-sur-Seine, in the former Notre-Dame abbey, the Musee du Pays Chatillonnais is the guardian of the rare heritage of northern Cote d’Or. Created in 1882 by the Archaeological and Historical Society of the Chatillonnais, it moved to the Philandrier hotel in 1950 before settling in the abbey buildings, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, at the beginning of the 2000s, where it was completely redesigned to offer optimal conservation conditions for its most precious collections. Its fame extends well beyond the borders of the department thanks to the Tresor de Vix, discovered in 1953 at the foot of Mount Lassois, of which it houses the complete collection.

The Tresor de Vix, the museum’s centrepiece

The dedicated room presents the entire funerary ensemble of the Celtic princess, in a scenography that recreates the context of the discovery. The bronze volute krater (1.64 m, 208 kg) dominates the space: it is the largest metal vase from classical Western antiquity, crafted around 530 BC by Greek artisans. Specialists still hesitate between a workshop of Magna Graecia (possibly Sybaris, according to one hypothesis) and a workshop of mainland Greece. This monumental vase could hold more than a thousand litres of wine, suggesting its use during great ritual banquets.

Around the krater are displayed the solid gold torc weighing 480 g, fibulae adorned with amber and coral, lignite bracelets, the silver phiale, the Etruscan oenochoe in bronze, and the Attic ceramics that made up the princess’s wine service. A panel explains the history of the excavation led by Rene Joffroy in 1953, and a model of Mount Lassois and the oppidum helps visitors visualise the discovery site.

The archaeological collections of the Chatillonnais

Beyond the Tresor de Vix, the museum unfolds across 2,000 m² of exhibition space a chronological journey covering three millennia of regional history:

• Prehistory: flint tools, polished axes, remains of the earliest Chatillonnais settlements.
• Bronze Age: metal objects, ceramics, tumulus burials.
• Gallo-Roman period: this is one of the richest sections of the museum. It includes sculptures, stelae and inscriptions from ancient Chatillonnais sites, notably Vertault (Vertillum), as well as the ex-votos of the Douix sanctuary in Chatillon-sur-Seine and of the temples of Essarois and Villiers-le-Duc. These offerings depicting healed body parts are among the most moving pieces in the collection.
• Early Middle Ages: sarcophagi, Merovingian jewellery, weapons and architectural elements from the territory’s first churches.

The museum also features a fine arts section with paintings from the 17th-19th centuries, including a canvas depicting the town of Chatillon-sur-Seine in the 18th century, and a local history room dedicated to the town and the rural Chatillonnais through old photographs, archive documents and everyday objects. This section recalls that Chatillon-sur-Seine was an important administrative centre of northern Burgundy under the Ancien Regime.

Note that the ex-votos discovered at the Sources de la Seine - including the famous oak wood sculptures and the bronze statue of the goddess Sequana in her boat - are kept at the Musee Archeologique de Dijon, along with all the collections of this great sanctuary.

Practical information for visiting the Musee du Pays Chatillonnais

Access

The museum is located in the heart of Chatillon-sur-Seine, in the former Notre-Dame abbey (14 rue de la Liberation), a stone’s throw from the Saint-Vorles church and the Seine quays. The city centre has paid car parks nearby, and the museum is accessible on foot from all points of the city.

Hours and admission

• Opening hours: from March to June and from September to December, 10am-5:30pm, closed on Tuesdays. In July and August: every day, 10am-5:30pm. Annual closure: January and February, as well as May 1st, December 24th, 25th and 31st.
• Admission: €7 full price, €3.50 reduced price, free for under-7s, job seekers and people with disabilities.
• Visit duration: allow 1h30 to 2h for the entire collection.

The museum has a lift and is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility, including the exhibition rooms and the auditorium. A gift shop offers reproductions of archaeological objects, books on the Tresor de Vix and local products.

Beyond the visit

To further explore the Tresor de Vix, Mount Lassois and the oppidum are accessible a few kilometres from the museum, with an interpretation trail. The Musee Archeologique de Dijon houses the complete set of Sources de la Seine ex-votos, including the famous bronze statue of Sequana, in a display that complements the one in Chatillon-sur-Seine.