Marguerite Yourcenar, born Cleenewerck de Crayencour (1903 - 1987), spent the first ten years of her life in the family estate, at the top of Mont-Noir, in Saint-Jans-Cappel.

The Marguerite Yourcenar museum, which was founded by Louis Sonneville in 1985, is a place of remembrance where visitors can discover the life and works of the first woman to be elected to the Academie Française (in 1980).

There are three exhibition rooms.

Thanks to original photographs ans documents, the first room is an introduction to the author's childhood.

The second room is a reconstruction of her office at "Petite Plaisance", her residence in Northeast Harbor, Maine, USA, where she wrote her most famous books : Memoirs of Hadrian and The Abyss.

The last room informs how she was elected to the Academie Française, and explains her commitment to ecology, the preservation of the environment, animal welfare,...

A documentary made up of extracts from interviews with the writer highlights the greatest moments of her life.

The Bluebell Path is a 6 km walking trail which crates a symbolic bond between the museum and the places where Marguerite Yourcenar spent her childhood.

Throughout the village and over the hillsides of Mont-Noir, visitors can admire the landscapes and the natural heritage of Flanders. All along the path, watercolor boards show quotes from various authors. Also to be seen are the church of the village, the cave of Our Lady of La Salette and the Franco-British cemetery.

The museum is open from March 1st to November 30th.

Opening hours :

- on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays : from 10 am to noon and from 2 pm to 4:30 pm

- on Sundays : from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Price : 3 € (and free for children under 12)