To restore women to their rightful place in history, the HF Île-de-France association is once again organizing the Matrimoines, the feminist counterpart to the Journées du Patrimoine. On September 20 and 21, 2025, take advantage of numerous free cultural events in Paris and the Île-de-France region, to get to know the great women architects, musicians, composers, painters, authors...
The Journées du Matrimoine (Heritage Days) feature more than twenty events and numerous major free events in and around the capital, organized for an exceptional weekend of encounters with the great women who have made France what it is today. For this 2025 edition, the architect Renée Gailhoustet (1929 - 2023), best known for her work on social housing in the suburbs, is the figurehead of the new Journées du Matrimoine.
Meet Gisèle Halimi, Violette Leduc, Françoise Pascal, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Monique Wittig, Louise Labé, Barbara, Juliette Tréant-Mathé, Andrée Chedid, Charlotte Brontë, Mel Bonis, and many other artists from all eras and artistic fields.
Don't forget to reserve your place for each event you wish to attend. The Journées du Matrimoine program is available below.
Climate Academy
Reille chapel
Silence paints a common feminine history through the works of women composers and poets who express the different forms of silence experienced by a woman in her existence - mutisms, consents, taboos, censored personal expressions or forgotten stories - and the liberation of speech and the body to escape from it.
Bold city
A fun workshop based around a puzzle and a website packed with playlists, videos and biographies, to discover American musicians and composers such as Mary Lou Williams (1910 - 1981), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915 - 1973), Melba Liston (1926 - 1999), Dorothy Ashby (1932 - 1986) and Carla Bley (1936 - 2023). Les "Elles" du Jazz celebrates the plural and singular universes of these artists, their heritage, and questions their place in jazz.
Cité Falguière, workshop 11
In 2025, Atelier 11 - the last active artists' studio in the Cité Falguière - celebrates its 150th anniversary. As part of the European Heritage Days and under the theme "Architectural heritage: windows to the past, doors to the future", this event will explore the relationship between artistic creation and built heritage, while encouraging collective reflection on the future of creative spaces in urban environments.
Taking place in parallel with the Journées du Matrimoine, this celebration will also highlight the cultural heritage of historically under-represented women artists. Together, Heritage and Matrimoine form our common cultural heritage, and promoting gender equality requires renewed recognition of women's contributions and their rightful place in historically male-dominated spaces.
The women of the Cité Falguière
While the Cité Falguière is celebrated for having played host to great artists of the École de Paris - including Modigliani, Soutine, Foujita and Brancusi - its history has too often overlooked the contributions of women, as is unfortunately common in art history. In response, the associations L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière have joined forces to preserve Atelier 11 and its rich international artistic heritage, while giving much-needed visibility to under-represented artists, particularly women. As part of this dual initiative, we will be highlighting the women artists who have lived and worked at Cité Falguière, covering both past and contemporary scenes. We'll be focusing on four little-known women artists:
* Lilian de Glehn Thibaut (1872-1951): an English painter who worked at the Cité Falguière during the Roaring Twenties.
* Mania Mavro (1889-1969): a painter from the Russian Empire (now Ukraine).
* Zofia Piramowicz (1880-1958): Polish painter of Armenian origin.
* Fanny Rozet (1881-1958): sculptor and first woman admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
This project aims to reintegrate these artists into the global narrative by connecting them with today's female creators. Alongside this special presentation, we will continue to honor Mira Maodus (b. 1942), a French artist of Serbian-Russian origin, a fervent practitioner of abstraction in painting and Atelier 11's last permanent resident. In parallel, the event will include an open studio with Jay Lee, a nomadic interdisciplinary artist currently in residence with L'AiR Arts at Atelier 11, whose work explores themes of memory, identity and time.
By placing these artists within the narrative and fostering a dialogue between past and present, this project pays tribute to the women of the École de Paris and those who continue to perpetuate its legacy today.
This event is organized by the associations L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière, in partnership with the Fonds d'art contemporain - Paris Collections, which holds works by over 30 artists who lived and worked at Cité Falguière in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
The Cité Falguière showcases the careers and works of Zofia Piramowicz (1880 - 1958), a painter of Armenian and Polish origin, Fanny Rozet (1881 - 1951), a pioneering sculptor and Lilian de Glehn Thibaut, an English painter of the Roaring Twenties.
In 2025, Atelier 11 - the last active artists' studio in the Cité Falguière - celebrates its 150th anniversary. As part of the European Heritage Days and under the theme "Architectural heritage: windows to the past, doors to the future", this event will explore the relationship between artistic creation and built heritage, while encouraging collective reflection on the future of creative spaces in urban environments.
Taking place in parallel with the Journées du Matrimoine, this celebration will also highlight the cultural heritage of historically under-represented women artists. Together, Heritage and Matrimoine form our common cultural heritage, and promoting gender equality requires renewed recognition of women's contributions and their rightful place in historically male-dominated spaces.
The women of the Cité Falguière
While the Cité Falguière is celebrated for having played host to great artists of the École de Paris - including Modigliani, Soutine, Foujita and Brancusi - its history has too often overlooked the contributions of women, as is unfortunately common in art history. In response, the associations L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière have joined forces to preserve Atelier 11 and its rich international artistic heritage, while giving much-needed visibility to under-represented artists, particularly women. As part of this dual initiative, we will be highlighting the women artists who have lived and worked at Cité Falguière, covering both past and contemporary scenes. We'll be focusing on a number of lesser-known women artists:
* Lilian de Glehn Thibaut (1872-1951): an English painter who worked at the Cité Falguière during the Roaring Twenties.
* Mania Mavro (1889-1969): painter from the Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
* Zofia Piramowicz (1880-1958): Polish painter of Armenian origin.
* Fanny Rozet (1881-1958): sculptor and first woman admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
This project aims to reintegrate these artists into the global narrative by connecting them with today's female creators. Alongside this special presentation, we will continue to honor Mira Maodus (b. 1942), a French artist of Serbian-Russian origin, a fervent practitioner of abstraction in painting and Atelier 11's last permanent resident. In parallel, the event will include an open studio with Jay Lee, a nomadic interdisciplinary artist currently in residence with L'AiR Arts at Atelier 11, whose work explores themes of memory, identity and time.
By placing these artists within the narrative and fostering a dialogue between past and present, this project pays tribute to the women of the École de Paris and those who continue to perpetuate its legacy today.
This event is organized by the associations L'AiR Arts and Cité Falguière, in partnership with the Fonds d'art contemporain - Paris Collections, which holds works by over 30 artists who lived and worked at Cité Falguière in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Cité Universitaire, Hellenic Foundation
Exhibition of the "Rêver la Cité" competition, which this summer invited residents and alumni to reflect on the ideal city in all its scales and expressions, from furniture to parks, bedrooms and homes.
Delve into the heart of Greek musical heritage, through a dialogue between Eleni Christophidou, a housewife who kept traditional Greek melodies alive, and Melpo Merlier (1889 - 1979), a 20th-century linguist and musicologist. An intimate tribute to the voices of women who have remained in the shadows, and to the intangible heritage handed down from generation to generation.
Melpo, songs from Greece on a donkey" concert. Musicians Cybèle Castoriadis and Violette Boulanger pay tribute to Greece's musical heritage with traditional songs by Eleni Christophidou and academic and musicologist Melpo Merlier.
Church of Saint Nicolas des Champs
A stroll through the streets of Paris, focusing on the life and work of Marie de Gournay (1565 - 1645), a committed woman of letters and philosopher, as well as Michel de Montaigne's "daughter-in-law". The tour concludes with a reading-performance of excerpts from Le Grief des Dames.
FGO - Barbara
In 2025, FGO-Barbara celebrates the talent of female professionals who have influenced the history of the music industry, with a round-table discussion entitled "Producers, composers, engineers, pioneers: rewriting the soundtrack of history".
Honor the inspiring figures of our musical heritage, and reflect collectively on the levers that can help create a more gender-balanced sound scene today.
The round-table accompanies the "Empreintes Sonores" exhibition, which opens on Saturday and runs for a month.
Les audacieuses Café
Muable is a tribute to Pauline Oliveros (1932 - 2016), pioneer of Deep Listening. An exploration of extended listening, between abandonment and presence, where sound becomes space, vibration, memory and transformation, through an immersive sound siesta, followed by a performance for violin and electronics.
10th arrondissement town hall
As part of the European Heritage Days, the Foulées du matrimoine du 10e is back for a third edition, in partnership with the Sine Qua Non association!
Join us on the square in front of the Mairie du 10e for a 5 km run for all ages and abilities, with a special focus this year on the memory of women who fought in the streets of the arrondissement, through the names given to our streets, schools and gardens.
Sine Qua Non ambassadors will supervise this original race, which combines muscle strengthening, history and heritage, and will finish at the Mairie du 10e with a refreshment stand.
(Personal belongings can be stored in a secure room).
### Guided tour by André Krol and Marie-Ange Daguillon from Histoire & Vies du 10e, with music by students from the Hector-Berlioz Conservatoire.
The town hall, a spectacular little palace of the republic, was built in 1896 in the neo-Renaissance style by Eugène Rouyer, a pupil of Charles Garnier. You'll visit the marriage hall with its high relief by Jules Dalou, the village hall with its marouflaged paintings depicting the trades and crafts of the 19th-century arrondissement, the councillors' offices and much more.
At the end of the tour (2:45 p.m.), a musical interlude will be offered by students from the Hector Berlioz Conservatory. From 3 p.m., the salle des mariages will host an illustrated lecture on the history of the Porte Saint-Denis (see event La porte Saint-Denis en images, de François Blondel à Max Ernst).
Lecture by Marie-Ange Daguillon, from Histoire et Vies du 10e
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### Salle des Mariages
When Louis XIV transformed Paris into an open city, demolishing its dilapidated walls and replacing them with a tree-lined boulevard, he called on François Blondel to design the Porte Saint-Denis, the first triumphal arch built to last in the capital. In 1672, Blondel, a one-man band of soldiers, teachers, diplomats, engineers and architects, set in stone the glory of a warrior king who had invaded Holland.
Over the centuries, the Porte Saint-Denis, at the confluence of the Grands Boulevards and the commercial Rue Saint-Denis, has witnessed the alternation of places to live and stroll, riots and revolutions. It inspired painters, engravers and then photographers, who emphasized its theatricality, depicting epic or everyday scenes set against its backdrop. One hundred years ago, the "very beautiful and very useless Porte Saint-Denis" according to André Breton, epicenter of the Surrealists' urban excesses, was even transformed into a petrified forest by Max Ernst.
The lecture will recount the story of the construction of the Porte Saint-Denis and its architect, then comment on a selection of works depicting it, from its completion to the 1920s.
Salle des fêtes, 11th arrondissement town hall
An exceptional concert dedicated to the beginnings of rock'n'roll through the women artists who marked its nascent history. A musical journey from rhythm and blues to the first figures of rock, to the sound of pioneers such as Ma Rainey (1886 - 1939), Memphis Minnie (1897 - 1973), Dorothy LaBostrie (1928 - 2007), Wynona Carr (1924 - 1976) and Etta James (1938 - 2012).
Maison de la vie associative et citoyenne du 11e
13 moons for 13 women, 13 sisters, 13 poetesses who meet, respond, dialogue and question each other, all with the freedom simply to express themselves in poetry and music. 13 poetesses who share the fact of having been prevented from walking in total freedom.
Maison des pratiques artistiques amateurs Broussais
Feminist conference-concert honoring the work of Anne Sylvestre (1934 - 2020), one of the greatest singer-songwriters of French chanson, too often relegated to the background behind her male colleagues or confined to her Fabulettes for children.
MPAA Broussais Matrimoine program at mpaa.fr/mpaa-broussais
Victor Hugo Library, Le Chesnay Rocquencourt
13 moons for 13 women, 13 sisters, 13 poetesses who meet, respond, dialogue and question each other, all with the freedom simply to express themselves in poetry and music. 13 poetesses who share the fact of having been prevented from walking in total freedom.
Maison de la musique, Nanterre
To mark the opening of its season on Saturday, September 20, the Maison de la Musique is dedicating an entire day to the theme of "Matrimoine", honoring major artists and (re)discovering their struggles and talents.
1/ Art workshop on the work of Marie Denis as part of the Hauts-de-Seine department's "1 month, 1 work" program. In partnership with La Terrasse, an art space in Nanterre.
2/ Concert "Femmes d'exception". By teachers from the Nanterre Conservatory.
3/ Book tables and readings on the theme of heritage. By the Nanterre media library network.
4/ Stroll around buildings and facilities in the Centre district named after famous women. Departure and return to the Maison de la Musique. Accompanied and led by the Société d'histoire de Nanterre.
5/ Concert by trio MAAAR
Full program on the Maison de la Musique de Nanterre website.
Seven meticulously crafted miniature sets to celebrate radio as it should be. After JazzBox, set designer Cécile Léna once again takes over the Maison de la Musique with her immersive scenographies.
Radio Daisy is a delightful plunge into a visual and aural universe of dialogue, sound effects and music. "Radio lives in our homes, kitchens and bathrooms. It's close to us, intimate, reassuring. It feeds our imagination without counting the cost: radio takes care of our solitudes so well." Cécile Léna
MAAAR, a trio of vowels for three women's voices brought together by the songs of the world. From Brittany to Quercy, from the Iberian Peninsula to South America and the Indian Ocean, the three singers weave a polyphonic repertoire in several languages, open to the world.
Espace Renaudie, Aubervilliers
Considered an urban utopia, the Maladrerie district in Aubervilliers embodies Renée Gailhoustet's (1929 - 2023) singular vision of humane, green and artistic social housing. Built in 1975, it combines housing, workshops, shops and public spaces in an inventive architectural style that respects its environment: a unique architectural heritage to protect and explore with the MéMO association and Typhaine D, during a guided tour.
Maison Blanche Hospital, Neuilly-sur-Marne
The "Queen's Dress" is an embroidered garment made by Marie Maillet Vitiello during her internment from 1937 to her death in 1989 at the Maison-Blanche psychiatric hospital in Neuilly-sur-Marne. It was registered as a "Monument Historique" on May 13, 2025. Come and discover this work, its history and meet the women who saved it!
The afternoon will begin with a guided tour of the former Maison-Blanche hospital by the association Histoire(s) et Mémoire de Maison Blanche, and will continue at Ville-Evrard for a presentation of the "Queen's Dress", preserved in the museum of the Société d'études et de recherches historiques en psychiatrie (SERHEP).
A round-table discussion will bring together all the players involved in its valorization, and will detail the history of this exceptional heritage, and how it has been safeguarded by generations of women nurses and carers, who have ensured its preservation to the present day.
By Jasmine Morice and Benoît Pouvreau, in charge of the cultural heritage inventory at the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis.
An initiative of the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis with Histoire(s) et Mémoire de Maison Blanche, the Société d'études et de recherches historiques en psychiatrie (SERHEP), the EPS de Ville-Evrard and the Institut de formation inter-hospitalier Théodore Simon.
Nadia and Lili Boulanger Conservatory, Noisy-le-Sec
Une Ruse de Pierrette, by Belgian composer Eva Dell'Acqua (1856 - 1930), is a funny, short, light-hearted comic opera that tells the story of Pierrette and Pierrot's love story, full of pitfalls. Between shenanigans and tearful declarations of love, will Pierrette succeed in winning Pierrot's hand?
Conservatoire Nina Simone, Romainville
Creative workshop to create collages of images, photos, cut-out or torn paper, based on heritage figures.
Open to everyone aged 14 and over, places limited to 15.
Concert and reading in tribute to Mel Bonis (1858 - 1937) and Amy Beach (1867 - 1944). Various solo, duo, 1 and 2 piano trio and chamber music pieces, presented throughout the concert by Christine Géliot, musician, author and great-granddaughter of Mel Bonis.
Le Forum, Boissy-Saint-Léger
Screening of 7 short films by directors Alice Guy (1873 - 1968), Mabel Normand (1892 - 1930) and Mary Ellen Bute (1906 - 1983), accompanied by a musical program composed by Métamorphose.
So where do you start?
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Prices
Free
Official website
www.lematrimoine.fr
