Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot
The Maison des Lumières is the only French museum dedicated to the philosopher and encyclopaedist Denis Diderot, a native of Langres.
Housed in the Du Breuil de Saint-Germain hôtel particulier, a fine mansion dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries, the museum sets Diderot’s life and work in the context of the Enlightenment. Inquisitive, sharp-witted, open-minded and alert to the issues of his time, the philosopher and encyclopaedist helped to bring about the intellectual revolution that shaped the 18th century.
A novelist, a playwright, an art critic and a man of science, as well as a philosopher and an encyclopaedist, Diderot encountered some of the great figures of his time, notably Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Russian Empress Catherine II. The museum presents different aspects of Diderot’s life, from his difficult relationship with his hometown and family to his major contributions to the Encyclopédie and his aesthetic tastes.
The museum also includes exhibits on Langres cutlery, the work of printers, Europe’s network of scholars and the major role of correspondence in the 18th century. You will find sculptures by Antoine Besançon, Jean Antoine Houdon and Auguste Bartholdi, as well as paintings by Joseph Vernet, Jean-Baptiste Deshays, Pierre-Jacques Volaire, Gabriel-François Doyen, Hugues Taraval and Pierre-Alexandre Wille.
Also on display are first editions of the Encyclopédie and a number of key works by Diderot and his contemporaries. Scientific instruments and maps illustrate some of the 18th century’s breakthroughs. The museum invites you to step back into the Age of Enlightenment, with Diderot as your guide.
