temporary exhibition

The exhibitions features the emblematic personalities of the Royal Fortress of Chinon who are still crowned with mystery. From the legend of the Recognition, through the Arthurian legend to curse of the Knight Templars, go through the centuries and discover some the most popular myths of the medieval West. 

Characters surrounded by mystery
The Royal Fortress of Chinon invites you on a journey through Myths and Legends.
These initiatory stories depict the characters who shaped the identity of the monument : the Plantagenets, the Knight-Templars, Joan of Arc... Their dramatic lives inspired the authors of their time who made them heroes.

The legend vs. the myth...
The myth, this totally imaginary story, is created to win the support of a community and contribute to its cohesion.
The legend, contrary to the myth, always relies on real facts ; transformed, sublimated, they participate in a literary construction that in the end, skillfully mixes the true and the false. The legend is a bit of the augmented reality of yesturday that would have been perpetuated through the centuries to the present days!

 Sword known as Joan of Arc ; © Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon / François Jay

Being an actor in the exhibition
As actors of the exhibition, Myths and Legends asks you if you will let yourself be carried by the power of legends and discover the exhibition with your senses, feelings or if you will choose to understand the process of creating a legend by deciphering it step by step...

Excalibur movie poster / John Boorman 1980

Forgery and fraud!
Along with the legend, often comes the creation of "fakes". These objects, with magical virtues, accompany its diffusion. In past centuries, they were showcased in collectors' curiosity cabinets. Some of them have been preserved in our national museums and are on display at the Chinon Fortress this summer.

Myths and legends and popular culture
Finally, Myths and Legends gives you to see the extraordinary power of attraction of these ancient legends on our contemporaries, through the new vectors of expression of our time - cinema and popular culture.

Dates : from october 17th 2020 to november 7th 2021

Public : for all

Price: included in your entrance fee 

VISTING MEASURES