Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot (MARQ)

City art museum in a former Ursuline convent in the historic Montferrand quarter

The Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot — usually called the MARQ — is Clermont-Ferrand's main art museum, housed in a large 17th-century former Ursuline convent in the Montferrand historic quarter, east of the city centre. The collection spans paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and jewellery from antiquity through the 20th century, with particular strength in medieval and Renaissance pieces. The building itself is worth the visit: the cloister and the former chapel have been incorporated into the exhibition spaces.

Montferrand is a 10-minute walk or a short tram ride from Place de Jaude, and the museum visit can be combined with a walk through the district's medieval streets — the half-timbered houses and 15th-century courtyard buildings here survived the merger with Clermont and make for a genuinely different urban experience. The MARQ charges a modest admission fee and is closed on Mondays.

things to do museum
A story
The museum occupies a former Ursuline convent built in the 17th century in Montferrand — the medieval town that was administratively merged with Clermont in 1731 to create Clermont-Ferrand. Montferrand and Clermont were rivals for centuries before the merger, and the Montferrand quarter has retained enough of its old street plan to feel distinct from the main city centre. The museum is named for Roger Quilliot, a former mayor of Clermont-Ferrand and senator who campaigned for public arts funding in France during the 1970s and 80s.