A gigantic breakfast at the hotel of ham and cheese sandwiches, yogurt, coffee, and we set off to visit the Musee de Cluny. That is, if it wasn’t too crowded. The Museum of the Middle Ages is housed in two Parisian monuments: the Gallo-Roman “thermes” (baths) from the 1st-3rd centuries and the Cluny Abbey, late 15th century. Completely different from all the other museums we’ve visited in Paris, the Musee de Cluny offered a unique view of the art and history of man in Roman Gaul and 15 centuries of European art and history at one location…View image.

Entrance is 8 Euros with no senior reductions but free coat check. There is a visitor’s guide in English that describes all 23 rooms on two levels, and we spent two hours along with many school groups making our way from room to room. You are allowed to video and take photos without a flash.

a school class learning about the Beauvais stalls from Saint-Lucien Church in Musee de Cluny Museum, Paris
I freely confess my ignorance about the origins of Paris. Did you know Lutece was the original name with two urban settlements during the Gallo-Roman period around the 1st century A.D.? There was an amphitheater in the Latin Quarter that once sat 15,000 people, and was used to present gladiatorial combats. The Cluny baths are the most spectacular example still preserved on Gallic soil. Possibly because the building has been used nearly continuously since the Middle Ages.

The Frigidarium (cold room) is enclosed within the Museum. Two caldas (warm water) are bordered by Boulevard Saint-Michel with another at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue Du Sommerard, while the remaining two rooms are in partial ruin.

a portion of one Lady and The Unicorn tapestry, Musee de Cluny Museum, Paris 

intricate ivory triptych in Musee de Cluny, Paris
A few of the many other interesting rooms were: the Goldsmithwork gallery; Romanesque room with fabulous ivories……View image; stained-glass windows from different churches; a Tombstone passage; the original chapel; and even a warfare, hunting and tournaments room. There was an actual manual in this room that told the Medieval Knights exactly “how to” prepare for battle. That was fascinating.

a chest in the Goldsmithwork gallery of Musee de Cluny, Paris 

Something new. Something different. And, if we had actually taken the time to read the pamphlet in depth while going from room to room, just imagine what we could have learned about each item. I didn’t realize that the Notre-Dame Room had 21 heads circa 1220 that were buried during the French Revolution and discovered by chance in 1977. Let’s continue walking…