Type Library | Phone +33 4 42 91 98 88 | |
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Location 8-10 Rue des Allumettes, Aix-en-Provence, France Address 8 Rue des Allumettes, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France Hours Open today · 10AM–7PMWednesday10AM–7PMThursday10AM–7PMFriday10AM–7PMSaturday10AM–7PMSundayClosedMondayClosedTuesday10AM–7PM Similar Aix Cathedral, Église Saint‑Jean‑de‑Malte, Fondation Vasarely, Aix‑en‑Provence Festival, Le Pavillon Noir Profiles | ||
The Bibliothèque Méjanes is a municipal library in Aix-en-Provence, France. It is home to 60,000 documents from the collection of Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes, medieval works dating back to the 12th to 15th centuries, and archives of local newspapers from 1871 to 1944.
Contents
Location
It is located at 8-10 Rue des Allumettes in Aix-en-Provence.
History
The library collection was started with a bequest from the estate of Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes (1729-1786) and its first librarian was Jean-Joseph Rive (1730–1791). During the French Revolution of 1789, his collection of 60,000 documents was preserved by a librarian named Jacques Gibelin. The collection includes medieval works dating back to the 12th-15th centuries, archives of two local newspapers, Le National d’Aix and Le Mémorial d'Aix, published from 1871 to 1944, as well as 5,500 posters issued from the 17th to 20th centuries. The collection has been protected since 1897.
The library was originally located in the City Hall. In 1972, an old match-making factory closed down. By 1989, it had been remodelled into the current buildings. Together, they form the "Cité du livre," which includes a screening-room for independent films and more rooms for authors' lectures. It also houses the Fondation Saint-John Perse and the Association des amis de Jules Isaac.