Visit Flaran Abbey and enjoy its entertainment!
Visit Flaran Abbey and enjoy its entertainment!
1,0 km - Valence-sur-Baïse
Culture and Heritage
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English
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Flaran Abbey: Visit a great exceptional site! THE CISTERCIAN ABBEY OF FLARAN (12°-18°C.), A CROSSROADS OF HISTORY AND CULTURES
Daughter of Escaladieu (Hautes-Pyrénées), founded in 1151 in the Baïse valley, the Abbey of Flaran is one of the best preserved in the South-West of France. The monastic buildings and gardens located in the heart of a park, in a preserved natural environment on the banks of the Baïse, present a perfect illustration of a Cistercian ensemble from the 12th century remodeled until the 18th century. Marked by historical vicissitudes, sold during the Revolution and in danger of t be dismantled before the First World War, the site was bought by the Department of Gers in 1970, which carried out an intense restoration campaign there from the 1980s.
Since the year 2000, Flaran Abbey, Departmental Heritage Center, heart of the Gers museum network, has housed the Departmental Conservation of Heritage and Museums/Flaran, Department of Museums and Heritage for the Department; it develops there, throughout the year, many scientific and cultural activities through a rich and diversified program. Open all year round, welcoming the highest attendance in Gers as it is a public and paying site , with full accessibility to its spaces and justifying, from 2011 then 2018, the label "great site Armagnac, Abbey and cities" of the Occitanie region, the abbey of Flaran has become an essential heritage and cultural reference in the departmental and regional landscape.
A RICH AND DIVERSIFIED ANNUAL PROGRAM
Betting on a cultural will and expectation in a department marked by agriculture and rurality, Heritage Conservation, supported by the departmental community, has chosen to offer all its audiences events and exhibitions in resonance with this remarkable site, the collections of the museums of the network or the departmental heritage in the broad sense. Heart of the cultural policy of the Departmental Council of Gers, the Abbey of Flaran is therefore the seat, since the year 2000, of reference exhibitions which alternate the most diverse themes, from Antiquity to contemporary times. , and offers, throughout the year, retrospective exhibitions of artists or more playful events, of Contemporary Art or Archeology, Comic Strips or Photography, which follow one another in as many appointments with external audiences, in summer discovery, or local, individual, school or family visitors...
A REFERENCE COLLECTION
Since July 2004, Flaran Abbey has also housed an exceptional collection of original works by renowned artists, representative of European Art from the 16th to the 21st century, deposited, by agreement, by Mr. Michaël Simonow, owner . In order to accommodate it, the monks' dormitory (18th century) has undergone a major renovation, protective measures have been taken for the works exhibited and brought up to standard with regard to people with reduced mobility or with disabilities. (ramps, lift, etc.).
From now on, the works are the subject of a semi-permanent presentation in the cells of the dormitory, while the corridor and the vestibule (over more than 400m2), host temporary exhibitions related to the collection.
On a biannual rhythm, accompanied by an attractive catalog, these are interested in the main currents of the History of the Arts: Portrait, landscapes, animals and chimeras, still lifes... etc...
Young or old, individually or as a family, this exceptional collection is intended for all those who wish to make a wonderful journey to the heart of the artistic currents of our European societies.
ORIGINAL DEVICES AND INCENTIVES FOR CULTURAL DISCOVERIES
To do this and with the support of the Departmental Assembly, Heritage Conservation implements annually and on the entire network around Flaran:
• Original and incentive pricing arrangements for welcoming the widest audiences: low cost of entry (5€/adult) and school activities (1.5€/student); free on the 1st Sunday of each month from November to March (local public); free during national events; free for PRM visitors, supervisors, holders of the "cultural pass" or job seekers...
• A program of cultural and museum activities (permanent and temporary exhibitions), rich and diversified, in various themes ranging from Archeology to Contemporary Art...
• A program of fun educational activities and events throughout the network…
• A referential policy of mediation vis-à-vis families, young people and school groups and/or disabled people or people with disabilities, etc.
• A publishing activity of interest to departmental heritage, exhibitions or hosted artists, etc.Moinillons, nonnettes: it's up to you!
Young visitors are welcome at Flaran Abbey! In the dormitory, one of the monks' cells is dedicated to young people with games, puzzles to discover art and heritage in a fun way...
Come and play as a family with art and heritage at the abbey!
In the monks' dormitory which houses the collection of paintings and sculptures by Mr. Simonow, the mediation center of the Departmental Conservation of Heritage and Museums of the Gers (CDPM32) had long since dedicated one of the cells to welcoming families visiting the site. This space needed to be harmonized and modernized. Many mediation tools already existed; they were included in the new project. After a survey of the public asking them what they would like to see as developments in addition to the existing one, the name of the unit was chosen as a team: “Moinillons, Nonnettes… it's up to you to play!” This space for discovery, games and manipulations was imagined by the mediation team of the abbey then designed and manufactured by the team of La Fabrique Toi Mme. The exchanges were constant between the two teams to enhance the existing and develop new tools to play on the themes of art and abbey. in the fields of cultural mediation, graphic design, museography and scenography. More information on www.lafabriquetoimeme.fr The new space “Moinillons et nonnettes” is therefore composed of:
• A coat rack desk: this is a table accessible to people in wheelchairs on which is displayed a tactile reproduction of a painting from Mr. Simonow's collection (made by the Artesens association) accompanied by its text in braille.
• A library: books, games, creative materials, giant puzzles… and puzzle boards to become a work of art and take a picture of yourself!
• The surprise table with:
- in the center: storage for puzzles
- a module “Gothic calligraphy almost… effortlessly! ϑ”: an erasable writing pad
- a “I’m going to trace you” module… to gently trace the portrait
- a secret drawer to discover “Who am I?”, a board game around the exhibition of master pastellist Ken Paine (1926-2020)
• A wall of expression for the public:
- An abbey setting and costumes for a photo shoot, to post on social networks if you want
- Tips and tricks for a successful self-portrait in front of the mirror – Children's exhibition area
- Slates to leave a message
- And finally, a table to highlight the news of the abbey
The abbey is part of the Môm'Art national network of museums and cultural sites which carefully welcome families!The little zoo of Flaran: Permit to touch!
(Touch exhibition on the theme of animal sculpture)
PERMANENT EXHIBITION
In addition to the exhibitions and activities of the Departmental Conservation of Heritage and Museums / Flaran, the cultural mediation service invites you to discover, by means of a permanent, tactile and playful exhibition, reproductions of sculpted animal works.
Taken from major French museums, created by famous or anonymous artists on the most diverse media and providing an aesthetic panorama from prehistory to the present day, these casts offer an original tactile discovery, like their manufacturing secrets.
Intended for all audiences and families, this exhibition is particularly suitable for schoolchildren and visually impaired or blind people. It is part of the work undertaken by the service for more than ten years, with the support of the departmental community that owns it, for greater accessibility to culture, in particular vis-à-vis young people and visitors with disabilities. disability.
Finally, it offers an original approach to art and the possibility of discovery by the uninitiated.
To extend this fun experience, the following are available: a help file for discovering the sculptures, a video on the molding workshop of the RMN-GP, a chronological frieze, games and manual activities
The small mobile zoo of Flaran: This mobile device also allows the occasional presentation of these casts outside the walls (schools, retirement homes, etc.); by reservation only and subject to availability of
mediators.
This visit can be supplemented by the educational kit "the sculptor's workshop".
Permanent exhibition designed and coordinated by the Departmental Conservation of Heritage and Museums/Flaran, in partnership with ESAT/La Caillaouère (AGAPEI Auch); NMR/GPalace casts.
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