Harmas de Fabre
Encyclopedia
The Harmas de Fabre, also known as the Musée Harmas Jean-Henri Fabre, is a museum, botanical garden
, and herbarium
located on the Route d'Orange, Sérignan-du-Comtat
, Vaucluse
, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
, France
. It is open daily except Wednesday in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The museum contains the house and the garden of naturalist and entomologist Jean Henri Fabre
(1823-1915) who moved into this house in 1879, after which he devoted the rest of his life to the study of insect
s and flora
. The word harmas means "fallow ground" in Provençal. In 1922 the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle acquired the site, and in 1955 nearly 700 watercolors, hand painted by Fabre, were found in attics of Harmas by his grandson. In 1998 the site was classified as a monument historique; restored by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, it opened to the public in 2006.
Today the museum contains Fabre's collections of fossil
s, mineral
s, 594 watercolors of mushroom
s, manuscripts, a private herbarium
of more than 20,000 specimens including plants harvested by Fabre during his stay in Corsica
(1849-1852), and the small table on which his manuscripts were written, most notably the Souvenirs Entomologiques. The gardens contain 20 historic trees and over 500 plant species
, as well as trails and a pool, and a small cold greenhouse
built in 1880.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, and herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
located on the Route d'Orange, Sérignan-du-Comtat
Sérignan-du-Comtat
Sérignan-du-Comtat is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is open daily except Wednesday in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The museum contains the house and the garden of naturalist and entomologist Jean Henri Fabre
Jean Henri Fabre
Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was a French entomologist and author.-Life:Fabre was born in Saint-Léons in Aveyron, France....
(1823-1915) who moved into this house in 1879, after which he devoted the rest of his life to the study of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
. The word harmas means "fallow ground" in Provençal. In 1922 the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle acquired the site, and in 1955 nearly 700 watercolors, hand painted by Fabre, were found in attics of Harmas by his grandson. In 1998 the site was classified as a monument historique; restored by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, it opened to the public in 2006.
Today the museum contains Fabre's collections of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, 594 watercolors of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, manuscripts, a private herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
of more than 20,000 specimens including plants harvested by Fabre during his stay in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(1849-1852), and the small table on which his manuscripts were written, most notably the Souvenirs Entomologiques. The gardens contain 20 historic trees and over 500 plant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, as well as trails and a pool, and a small cold greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
built in 1880.