Journées du Patrimoine 2025 in Paris at La Chapelle Expiatoire: the program

It's an event synonymous with good deals and great discoveries. In September, as if to console Parisians for the economic downturn, the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) brighten up the end of summer with a hot new concept. Just imagine, over the course of a weekend, the finest treasures of our heritage open their doors to you, with a program of events, visits and workshops for young and old, often free of charge. Of course, cultural establishments such as museums and monuments will be taking part, but that's not all! Places that are usually closed to the public also offer exceptional tours.

The Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris, the monument erected in memory of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette
The Chapelle Expiatoire is one of Paris's hidden monuments. Erected in memory of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, this historic site is well worth a visit! [Read more]

While the capital's most famous landmarks lend themselves to the game, the Journées du Patrimoine are also an opportunity to get to know Paris like the back of your hand, or almost, by discovering its secrets and little-known heritage. Located in the heart of a square in the capital's 8th arrondissement, La Chapelle Expiatoire is one of these hidden treasures, whose existence is hard to guess from the street.

• To be read
• This Week's Best Deals in Paris and Île-de-France, December 15–21, 2025

And yet this historic monument is linked to one of the most significant events in French history. Built on the site of the former Madeleine cemetery, this chapel, commissioned by Louis XVIII, commemorates his brother, King Louis XVI, who, like his wife Marie-Antoinette, was executed during the French Revolution. Today, it regularly hosts temporary exhibitions.

To discover this important part of French history, take advantage of the next edition of the Journées du Patrimoine, organized on September 20 and 21, 2025.

The Journées du Patrimoine 2025 program at La Chapelle Expiatoire

• The Chapelle expiatoire, a memorial monument
  Saturday, September 20, 2025 - 2:30 pm ⤏ 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm ⤏ 5:30 pm | Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 2:30 pm ⤏ 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm ⤏ 5:30 pm
  

  The Chapelle expiatoire stands on the site of the former Madeleine cemetery, where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were buried during the Revolution, along with the bodies of 500 people condemned to the guillotine. Under the Restoration, Louis XVIII had the sovereigns' remains transferred to the royal necropolis at Saint-Denis. Work on the Chapelle expiatoire was entrusted to architect Pierre Fontaine. Completed in 1826, this memorial monument commemorates the sinfulness of the execution of King Louis XVI in the eyes of the royalists. Threatened with demolition on several occasions, the Chapelle expiatoire is, in the words of Chateaubriand, "the most remarkable monument in Paris".