Rue Gustave Chopinet - 60800 Crépy-en-Valois

Take line K to Crépy en Valois station. Walk 10 minutes to the Archery and Valois Museum.

From the top of its promontory, this medieval castle reigns over Crépy-en-Valois. It has a rich history and is worth visiting in its own right. Its legend began in 1170, with the construction of a chapel dedicated to St. Albinus. In the 13th century, Philip I raised it up and built a residential château, which in the 15th century became the administrative centre of the Duchy of Valois. Between the 18th century and 1850, the entire site was a prison. After the Second World War, Crépy-en-Valois château became a museum dedicated to archery, a subject dear to the region. It was not until 1973 that the sacred art collection was placed in the upper level of the château. From prehistoric weapons more than 10,000 years old, to bows from contemporary Olympic champions, this rich archery collection is unique in France. Weapons from every continent and era are shown to the public here, telling the history of archery and the evolution of production techniques.

Sacred art is displayed in the upper rooms of the château. Starting in 1973, several Valois communes left some of the splendid sculptures from their churches to the museum. The wood and stone statues that represent the saints, the most important of which include the Virgin Mary and St. Sebastian. Their origins date back between the 13th and 20th centuries.

Legend has it that Saint Sebastian, a converted Christian and captain of the guard of a Roman emperor, saved many Christians during the persecutions of the 3rd century before being killed by the arrows of Imperial archers. Among the collections of the château, he is, through many sculptures and paintings, the link between archery and sacred art.