On September 19 and 20, 2026, put aside the usual outings and treat yourself to a full-blooded cultural immersion. The European Heritage Days return with one promise: to turn every street corner into a time machine. Their mission? Break the routine and coax you through doors of iconic venues and others that are rarely open – castles, museums, emblematic institutions or offbeat addresses – all free of charge. Two days to marvel, lift your head, absorb the tales of the past and dive into European art, architecture and heritage like never before.
Heritage Days 2026 in Paris: discovering Île-de-France crafts and know-how
Heritage Days are back in Paris and Île-de-France on the weekend of September 19-20, 2026. How about taking this opportunity to dive into the heart of the region’s craftsmanship and know-how? Here are the can’t-miss visits in the Paris area. [Read more]
On the agenda of places worth a detour, set your sights on the Potager du Dauphin, in Meudon in the Hauts-de-Seine (92). This historic park, dreamed up by the Marquis de Louvois, Louis XIV’s minister, was originally conceived with a royal purpose: to stock the monarch’s table.
Today, this green jewel along the avenue of the Château de Meudon reveals its elegance behind tall walls. Between its 19th-century bourgeois villa and its undulating grounds, the site exudes a timeless charm.
Since 2008, it has housed the Hôtel des Métiers d’Art de Meudon. Fourteen exceptional workshops here devote themselves to creating and restoring works of art, with a mission to preserve and pass on rare crafts.
Potager du Dauphin de Meudon: Open House for Workshops, Exhibitions, Lectures, and a Concert
Welcome to Potager du Dauphin for a weekend packed with meetings and events—discover an exceptional program that honors both heritage and rare craftsmanship.
🗓️ Saturday, September 19
🏛️ 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Hôtel des Métiers d'Art: open doors, meet the artisans in their studios.
Meet professionals across trades such as: iconographer, painting restorer, milliner, lacquermaker, stained-glass artist, upholsterer, fresco painter, pen-restorer, fashion designer, heliograver, carpenter, gilder.
⛪ 11:00–13:00 — Chapelle Saint-Georges: flash tours by Atelier d'Icônes (15 minutes each).
🏛️ 11:00–16:00 — Chapelle Saint-Georges: self-guided visit.
🌿 11:00–19:00 — Greenhouses and Edible Garden (Jardin d'Amélie): tours and plant sales.
🏛️ 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Seroussi Pavilion Exhibition (architecture), ceremonial hall of the Hôtel des Métiers d'Art.
📷 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Nathalie Baetens photography exhibition — L'héliogravure (Atelier Heliog), Workshop 12, 2nd floor of the Hôtel des Métiers d'Art.
🎤 15:00 — Conference “From limestone to fresco: secrets of Meudon white” by Lillia Baudo, master artisan fresco painter (1h). Conference Room — Free admission, open access.
🎤 16:00 — Talk on restoring the chapel’s mural paintings, by Gabriela Szatanik-Perrier (30 min). Conference Room — Free admission, open access.
🎼 17:00 — Concert “O Anima Mea” by Quam Dilecta, in Chapelle Saint-Georges (1h). Free, limited seating.
🗓️ Sunday, September 20
🏛️ 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Hôtel des Métiers d'Art: open doors, meet the artisans in their studios.
🏛️ 11:00–19:00 — Chapelle Saint-Georges: self-guided visit.
🌿 11:00–19:00 — Greenhouses and Edible Garden (Jardin d'Amélie): tours and plant sales.
🏛️ 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Seroussi Pavilion Exhibition (architecture), ceremonial hall of the Hôtel des Métiers d'Art.
📷 11:00–13:00 / 14:00–19:00 — Nathalie Baetens photography exhibition — L'héliogravure (Atelier Heliog), 2nd floor of the Hôtel des Métiers d'Art.
🎤 15:00 — Conference “The heliogravure, between heritage and creation” by Fanny Boucher, master heliogravure artist (1h).
Salle de conférence — Free admission, open access.
🎤 16:00 — Talk on restoring the chapel’s mural paintings, by Gabriela Szatanik-Perrier (30 min).
Salle de conférence — Free admission, open access.
🏛️ 17:00 — Guided tour of Chapelle Saint-Georges by Atelier d'Icônes (1h).
Participation requirements: Free
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:00–13:00, 14:00–19:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 11:00–13:00, 14:00–19:00
Copper photogravure workshop tour
Exclusive tour of Heliog's workshop, specialized in copper heliography. A close look at the craft, with live printing demonstrations. The photographer Nathalie Baetens presents her heliogravure collection in her presence.
Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:00–13:00, 14:00–18:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 11:00–13:00, 14:00–18:00
Conference on Blanc de Meudon
After dedicating years to lime plaster murals, Lillia Baudo is now intensifying her exploration of Meudon White. Not aiming to recount its entire history, she offers an artisan’s perspective—a view of a material she experiments with daily in her workshop.
Through her journey, trials, and recipes, this talk demonstrates how Meudon White can refresh lime-based interiors. Light, luminous, and natural, it opens fresh possibilities for painting, patination, bas-relief, and sculpture, while meeting the demands of contemporary architecture.
Illustrated with projects, demonstrations, and samples, this gathering invites the audience to see Meudon White as a creative material for making, sharing, and innovating.
Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required
Timings: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Conference: Conserving and restoring the wall paintings of Saint George's Chapel in Meudon
Conservation and restoration of neo-orthodox mural paintings told by Gabriela Szatanik-Perrier, heritage restorer and lead conservator of the team responsible for the project. This work, carried out in late 2024 and early 2025, earned the Heritage Ribbon Award. The talk will outline the project and its challenges, and will be illustrated with before–during–after photographs. The public will then be free to visit the chapel, either on their own or with a guide.
Participation conditions: Free entry, subject to availability - Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Quam Dilecta Concert
During the European Heritage Days at the Potager du Dauphin and as part of the OuVERTures Festival, the Quam Dilecta ensemble offers a European tour of sacred music by the era’s greatest composers of the 17th century. It’s the height of expressive Baroque, where passions are staged as in a Racine play or in the works of Caravaggio and Bernini.
Works by Monteverdi, Schütz, Dumont, Leonarda, Purcell.
Cast:
Louise Decreux, soprano, recorder
Maé Ettioutioui, mezzo, viola da gamba
Eliette Rugiero, harpsichord, recorder
Jean-Christophe Frisch, chalumeau bassoon, harpsichord
The OuVERTures Festival is supported by the Île-de-France Region
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 — 5:00 PM
Saint-Georges Chapel — Potager du Dauphin
Free, no reservations required, subject to availability
Participation terms: Free - Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
The heliogravure: between heritage and creation — History, technique and contemporary applications of a rare craft
Through this talk, Fanny Boucher, a Master of Art and founder of the Hélio'g workshop, invites you to explore the history of heliogravure, a photographic and intaglio process born in the 19th century. From its origins alongside the pioneers of photography to its current uses in contemporary creation, she will reveal the different stages of its making, the specifics of this rare craft, and the reasons behind its exceptional ability to reproduce images with fidelity. Illustrating the talk with works by contemporary artists and pieces from the workshop, this encounter will show how this heritage technique continues to inspire artists, publishers, and institutions around the world today.
Heliogravure is an activity included in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage.
Participation terms: Free of charge
Schedule: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Dates and Opening Time
From September 19, 2026 to September 20, 2026
Location
Potager du Dauphin
15 Rue Porto Riche
92190 Meudon
Route planner
Prices
Free
Official website
www.artisansdartmeudon.fr
Heritage Days 2026 in Paris: discovering Île-de-France crafts and know-how
