Auberge Ravoux

The daughter of Mr Levert, the original owner, put the centrality of the location to use by opening a retail wine business.

[3] In 1889 the lease on the house was taken on by Arthur Gustave Ravoux, who transformed the business into an inn popular with the artistic community in Auvers.

The doctor was immortalized in a portrait Van Gogh made of him in June of that year, which fetched a record price of $82.5 million in 1990.

Upon arrival in Auvers, Van Gogh decided to stay at the Auberge Ravoux, mainly because it was cheaper than the hotel proposed by Dr. Gachet, which charged 6 francs a day for full board accommodation.

[6] He found the juxtaposition between the rustic country life and recent modern additions such as the railway and the bridge on the River Oise fascinating.

Despite his love of his new surroundings and his feverish activity, on the morning of 27 July 1890, Van Gogh walked into a field and shot himself in the chest.

He thought he could hear groans, went up quickly and found Vincent on his bed, laid down in a crooked position, knees up to his chin, moaning loudly.

[5] Anton Hirschig, a fellow lodger at the auberge, later recalled them,[5] "There was the one with the fields billowing into the horizon, the one with the sun hanging in the middle, the one with the town hall decorated with flags and lanterns, the portrait of the girl in blue with the blue background and many others ..." while Adeline Ravoux mentioned The Church at Auvers, Irises, Daubigny's Garden and Child with an orange in her memoir.

[9] Bernard mentioned The Pietà and Prisoners exercising,[10]" ... a very beautiful and sad [study] based on Delacroix's La vierge et Jesus.

Convicts walking in a circle surrounded by high prison walls, a canvas inspired by Doré of a terrifying ferocity and which is also symbolic of his end.

[5] Van Gogh was buried on 30 July at the municipal cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise at a funeral attended by Theo van Gogh, Andries Bonger, Charles Laval, Lucien Pissarro, Émile Bernard, Julien Tanguy and Dr. Gachet amongst some 20 family and friends, as well as a number of locals (including Arthur Ravoux).

[4][10][11] Van Gogh's death and funeral was reported by the local newspaper Le Régional in its edition dated 7 August 1890.

[3] Van Gogh's stay at the Auberge Ravoux had been one of prolific creation: in 70 days he created more than 80 paintings and 64 sketches, amongst which were the Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Wheatfield with Crows, Auvers Town Hall on 14 July 1890 and Daubigny's Garden:Van Gogh, who loved to feast on the light, forever transformed his low-lit little room into a room with a view: it has only one skylight to watch the day pass through, but it opens a window onto ourselves.The Ravoux family left Auvers-sur-Oise in 1892.

The period around the turn of the century saw the beginning of a new era of modernity, notably the installation of gas street lamps and telephones in Auvers.

The period during and after the Second World War saw a decline in interest in the auberge, but in 1952 it was bought by Roger and Micheline Tagliana who restored Vincent's room with the help of Adeline Ravoux.

A slide show has been set up in the attic detailing van Gogh's life and oeuvre and including extracts from his letters as well as period photographs.