Heritage Days 2026: discover Saint-Georges Chapel, a little-known 16th-century site

La Chapelle Saint-Georges opens its doors in Paris for Heritage Days, on 19 and 20 September 2026. A rare opportunity to explore its history, its architecture, and a little-known facet of the capital's heritage.

Every autumn, the Heritage Days invite Parisians to see Paris in a new light by opening the doors to sometimes little-known sites, on September 19 and 20, 2026. Among the tours offered in the capital, the Saint-Georges Chapel, in the 16th arrondissement, offers a fine discovery for enthusiasts of history, architecture, and religious heritage. Usually little known to the general public, it opens for a weekend to reveal its surroundings, its traditions, and the role it plays within the Romanian Greek-Catholic community settled in France.

The story of the Saint-Georges Chapel begins in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Father George Surdu establishes a residence on Rue Ribéra for Romanian Catholic priests and Byzantine rite students, with the backing of Cardinal Eugène Tisserant. After the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church was banned by the communist regime in Romania in 1948, this place becomes a key gathering point for exiled faithful. The Saint-Georges parish is officially founded in 1954, and the chapel is now noted for its magnificent iconostasis, its icons of Romanian tradition, and several liturgical objects that reflect the richness of Eastern Christian heritage.

The Heritage Days weekend gives visitors a chance to glimpse a world rarely shown to the public. The guided tours offer an opportunity to understand the peculiarities of the Byzantine rite, to admire the works preserved in the chapel, and to discover a little-known chapter in the history of foreign communities in Paris. Far from the most visited routes, this stop reveals another facet of Parisian heritage and reminds us that some of the capital's most surprising treasures can often be tucked behind the most discreet façades.

The 2026 Heritage Days program at Saint-Georges Chapel:

Saint George's Chapel
An exceptional opening to explore the beautiful iconostasis of the Greco-Catholic chapel, with guided tours that illuminate the history of our community, the peculiarities of the Byzantine tradition, and the spiritual and liturgical heritage of the Romanian Greco-Catholic Church.

The Greco-Catholic mission has become a beacon for the Romanian diaspora in France, thanks to the Mass in Romanian conducted in the Byzantine rite.

This chapel has become a must-visit address for Romanian Christians.
Participation terms: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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