Every year, the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days ) offer an enchanting interlude for lovers of history, art and culture. During this special weekend, on September 20 and 21 2025, monuments, museums and historic sites open their doors wide, often free of charge, to reveal their secrets. It's a real invitation to rediscover France's heritage in a new light, a rich and edifying experience.
Mantes-la-Jolie, this charming commune in the Yvelines department, is a veritable historical goldmine. Its history, dating back to Antiquity, is magnificently reflected in its majestic Collégiale Notre-Dame, a testament to Gothic art. Over the centuries, Mantes-la-Jolie has witnessed the birth of major events, lively trade fairs and legends that continue to fascinate visitors and residents alike.
So, why is Mantes-la-Jolie a must-see destination for the Journées du Patrimoine 2025? Quite simply because it's a unique opportunity to explore its picturesque streets, visit its historic monuments and immerse yourself in an atmosphere steeped in history and tradition. Between workshops, guided tours and re-enactments, Mantes-la-Jolie promises an immersive and memorable heritage experience!
Municipal Archives
Participants are invited to discover the world of archives through a visit to the Municipal Archives: the missions of archives, from collection to communication, including classification and conservation. At the end of the tour, participants will be presented with a selection of documents illustrating the exceptional diversity of the holdings of the Archives municipales and the city's history.
Abel Lauvray Arts Center
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Social Community Center for Artists and Doctors
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Saint-Jacques Chapel
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Notre-Dame Collegiate Church
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
La Dalle du Val Fourré
From Goldman to Stromae, Compagnie ETC Et Caetera invites you to a choreographed musical show. An opportunity to celebrate the European Heritage Days with joy, sharing and good humor.
Sainte-Anne Church in Gassicourt
Situated near the Seine, 2 km from the collegiate church of Notre-Dame, the 11th-century church of Sainte-Anne was built in the village of Gassicourt and belonged to the Cluniac priory of Saint-Sulpice. The church features remarkable wooden stalls and 13th-century stained glass windows donated by Saint-Louis and Blanche de Castille. It was listed as a Monument Historique in 1862.
Great Mosque of Mantes-la-Jolie
The Mosque, a place of spirituality and instruction, is also a place of life and culture, a source of fertile interweaving. Inaugurated in July 1981, the Grande Mosquée de Mantes features a sober neo-Moorish style, the fruit of the collaboration of two architects, one French, the other Moroccan. It is one of the first buildings in France to be dedicated to Muslim worship.
Enjoy a guided tour, followed by a chat over mint tea and North African pastries.
Come and discover mosaics from the Briare factory in the Loiret region, a benchmark in industrial art, laid by a master craftsman specially flown in from Morocco. Cross the nave to reach the mihrab, a niche facing Mecca, and the minbar, a carved wooden pulpit used for Friday prayers.
Duhamel Media Library
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Hôtel Dieu Museum
Maximilien is a painter. In his studio, the colors get bored and decide to take a trip. As they pass, everything becomes multicolored! A sensory and poetic experience specially designed for babies and the adults who accompany them.
Come and discover the temporary exhibition "Meiji et Manga à Mantes, Japonisme et Pop culture" and take part in a fan customization workshop. 30 min visit and 1h30 workshop in the presence of Medushiva (visual artist).
Discover the museum's permanent collections and current temporary exhibitions.
A mysterious individual claims that a secret is hidden in the Hôtel-Dieu museum. He decides to call in some detectives to investigate. Come and help him solve riddles and find clues hidden among the museum's works. Can you find the combination to the safe that holds a secret hidden for decades?
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: "Bonjour de Mantes" workshop: colorization of old postcards around emblematic monuments: old theatres, old cinemas, Hôtel Dieu, Musée Duhamel... An opportunity to showcase the private collections of postcards from the early 1910-1930 period (Heritage, Archives and Old Archives Department).
Saturday and Sunday, 2 - 4 pm / 2 - 5.30 pm: "Le Petit Urbaniste" workshop: a creative workshop based on the conception of an ideal city, an opportunity to discover engravings of Mantes from different eras and, using stickers, collage and drawing, to imagine your own "ideal" city.
All weekend long: Association Culture et Patrimoine mantais: presentation of the association and exhibition on Mantes' heritage, with the possibility, at visitors' request, of seeing a particular monument in the form of a video projection.
All weekend long: Amis du Mantois: presentation of the association and exhibition on footbridges.
All weekend long: Club Lafayette: presentation of the association and heritage models.
All weekend long: Bulles de Mantes: presentation of the association and presence of a comic book author on Saturday afternoon for a signing session & exhibition either of the guest author, or showing the representation of the Collegiate Church on the festival posters.
All weekend long: Label Mantes: products bearing the town's effigy Label mantes promotes local production.
All weekend long: Drones in the service of heritage: Drones are crucial to heritage preservation, offering precise, non-invasive inspections. They can monitor historic sites, detect damage and map fragile structures. Their use facilitates conservation and restoration planning, ensuring the preservation of heritage for the future.
Sunday, 10am-5.30pm: Nicolas Dubois, a wildlife photographer based in Mantes-la-Jolie, will show you his work. Share a special moment with this passionate artist. On the program: mini photo exhibition, animal videos, presentation of equipment, binoculars, feathers, skulls, books and guides, association leaflets...
Thanks to a trail full of riddles and challenges, children discover the Collegiate Church from a playful point of view. The year is 1364, at the height of the 100 Years' War. The town is in the hands of Charles le Mauvais, an English ally, who has just reinforced the fortifications around the Collégiale. King Charles V sends a troop of soldiers and the cunning Connétable Du Guesclin to retake the town and its famous church. But how will they accomplish this perilous mission? Will you be able to find the clues that will enable you to find out?
This original walk is an invitation to discover the town since the Middle Ages through the remains of its fortifications.
This walking tour takes you in the footsteps of Mantais' great architects: Alphonse Durand (restorer of the Notre-Dame collegiate church), Eugène Saintier, Raymond Marabout (Arts Déco) and Raymond Lopez (large-scale housing developments).
Located in the heart of the town's historic quarter, within the walls of an ancient medieval castle, the collegiate church dominates the Mantais landscape. Its architectural kinship with Notre-Dame de Paris gives it a prominent place.
Let yourself be guided by this elegant early Gothic architecture of stone and light. Exceptional access to the galleries and lapidary repository.
Place Saint-Maclou
From Goldman to Stromae, Compagnie ETC Et Caetera invites you to a choreographed musical show. An opportunity to celebrate the European Heritage Days with joy, sharing and good humor. Join the Et Caetera choir!
Clos des Vieilles Murailles cellars
The Chai troglodyte, former cellars of the Cordelier convent, is a historic site in the Mantois region.
Winegrowing is also part of our local heritage, as the Seine Valley was one of France's largest wine-producing regions until the end of the 19th century.
The visit will take place during the bottling of the 2024 vintages, so there will be real wine-making activity.
Note: given the date, it's also possible that the harvest of one of our crus is also underway...
Square Brieussel
Monumental! From line to idea": The city of Mantes boasts a remarkable architectural heritage, which has been enriched and transformed over the centuries. The collections held by the Archives municipales bear witness to this diversity, and contain numerous architectural drawings that constitute the memory of this heritage. In some cases, these drawings are veritable works of art, providing exceptional sources of information on the history of monuments, and taking us to the heart of the architectural design process. This exhibition invites us on a journey to the frontier of history and architecture, through a selection of drawings displayed along the gates of Square Brieussel.
Presentation of the exhibition "Monumental! From line to idea": drawings, monuments (duration 20 min.).
"Hop, it's time for a break!" Wobbly table turns - with or without sugar... for the time of an Espresso, our old café comes to life and plunges you into the wacky universe of our Artists. A show combining Circus and Theater in the form of a Street Cabaret with 4 Circassians and a Musician. By Cie Freikopf.
Tour itineraries :
This year, the Ecrivains district celebrates 60 years of life! Here's a look back at its origins through never-before-seen archives, and a road trip through the sometimes little-known history of this neighborhood, which is historic in more ways than one...
In search of the origins of a part of the Peintres district: "La Girafe", an emblematic place from the 70s to the 90s, between a social link and a party square, a look back at an urban epic.
Happy Heritage Days in Yvelines!
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Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Mantes-la-Jolie
mantes-la-jolie
78200 Mantes la Jolie
Prices
Free
Official website
www.manteslajolie.fr
