National Museum of the Marine is located in the historic centre of Toulon on Monsenergue Square. The exposition is placed in the old city arsenal (built in 1814 during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte). Central facade of the museum is decorated with impressive statues of the Atlantes created the famous master of the 17th century, Pierre Puget.
The visitors of the museum can see here the most unique collection of models and maquettes of marine vessels for different purposes in a variety of scales (starting from the 18th century to the present day), from the ancient galleys to modern aircraft carriers.
Moreover a variety of ship equipment, collection of old cannons and the first 'version' of the famous Maxim gun, the samples of the sailors’ uniforms of different years and their camp household items are kept here.
Also unique historical documents related to the activities of the port of Toulon and magnificent works of famous marine painters are among the exhibits. It is worth specially focus that the Museum of the Marine of in Toulon has in its exposition the entire 'Russian' section where you can see many genuine artifacts devoted to the Russian-French relations.
References:Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).