The Journées du Matrimoine are back for another edition on September 20 and 21, 2025. More than twenty free events and meetings invite us to discover the great women artists who have shaped our history and our cities. The HF Île-de-France association, which initiated the project, has chosen this year to spotlight the architect Renée Gailhoustet.
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.
Our selection from the Journées du Matrimoine program in Paris :
Climate Academy
- Event: Heritage Day for the Matrimony
On Saturday, September 20th, at the Climate Academy
Heritage Day transforms into Matrimony Day!
Free access all day long:
- Film screenings: A series of seven 13-minute films on agriculture and medicinal plants, plus a sneak preview of the documentary series "Cultivating Solutions," seen through the eyes of environmentally conscious artist Guy Gabon from Guadeloupe.
- Herbal tea tasting
- 10 AM–12 PM: Two Experience-Sharing Workshops on Agriculture and Plants
- 10–11 AM: Resilient Agriculture in Martinique — A Response to Ecological Challenges
As soils face severe degradation and pollution from intensive farming and climate change, Monette Marie Louise will introduce the renowned Beninese agroecology model, Songhaï, adapted to traditional farming in Martinique at the Vauclin farm. She will share how she developed techniques aimed at food autonomy, sustainable living, and nurturing a new generation of “agri-entrepreneurs.”
Registration
- 11 AM–12 PM: Plant Presentation by Herbalists from Réunion
Wisdom keepers Reine-Claude Gonthier and Isabelle Joly will showcase the centuries-old practice of herbal teas, a tradition living alongside biomedical medicine. Passed down through generations, this knowledge encompasses where to harvest herbs and how to prepare them. As a form of ecological cultural resistance, herbalists continue to treat with plants alongside conventional medicine.
Registration
- 12 PM–1 PM: Informal Sharing Time
Tasting Réunion herbal teas
Isabelle Hoarau-Joly will discuss traditional herbal practices from Réunion.
- 1 PM–2 PM: Launch of the First Overseas Heritage University
In collaboration with K-pab6T association: “Ancient Wisdom in the Face of Ecological Challenges”
This pioneering, decolonial laboratory unites traditional practices with academic research to redefine our relationship to knowledge and explore how indigenous heritages can address today’s ecological issues. Upermarine researchers, artists, and women custodians will lead this inclusive, horizontal dialogue, demonstrating that overseas territories are no longer mere objects but active knowledge subjects, with women as its powerful transmitters.
Registration
- 2 PM–5 PM: Three Experience-Sharing Workshops on Agriculture and Plants
- 2–3 PM: Creole Gardens — Resisting Industrial Agriculture
In Guadeloupe, the Creole garden serves as a decorative space, food source, pharmacy, and biodiversity reserve. An agroecological model that respects nature’s balance while providing for local communities, it now exemplifies food sobriety both in rural and urban settings. Presented by Chantal Labylle.
Registration
- 3–4 PM: Medicinal Plants of the Marquesas Islands
In the Marquesas archipelago, traditional plant knowledge has almost been lost, but recent efforts are preserving this vital inheritance. Some local practitioners continue to utilize these age-old remedies, supplementing modern medicine in French Polynesia. Sarah Vaki will introduce these healing plants.
Registration
- 4–5 PM: Lasotè — A Philosophy and Lifestyle Rooted in Solidarity
Discover this communal farming tradition, revived through rhythmic drumming and singing, championed by Annick Jubenot, who is working to have Lasotè recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. For over two centuries, Martiniquans have organized into communities to ensure food sustainability—an enduring form of ecological and social solidarity akin to the principles of social economy.
Registration
- 2 PM–4 PM: Film Cycle “Cultivating Solutions”
A premiere of the documentary series “Cultivating Solutions,” featuring Caribbean women custodians of knowledge. Directed by Anne Pastor, the series depicts women reimagining the relationship between land and community, blending ancestral knowledge with innovative solutions.
Stories from Guyana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique weave a universal plea for sustainable, inclusive, and humane food systems.
- 4 PM–5 PM: Medicinal Plants — A Holistic Approach
Two films exploring ancient plant knowledge will be shown:
- One takes you into Réunion, where the “tisanier” tradition is passed down from mother to daughter. Reine-Claude Gonthier, from Cilaos, will open her Piton Bétoum garden.
- The other journeys to the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia, where leaves, bark, and seaweed serve as natural remedies. Sarah Vaki continues this lineage of herbal wisdom.
- 2 PM–5 PM: Collaborative Mural
Guadeloupean land artist Guy Gabon will guide the public in creating artwork—imprints symbolizing the steps toward a more respectful relationship with nature and its inhabitants.
Performance by Guy Gabon
- 5 PM–7 PM: Panel Discussions
- 5–6 PM: “Plant-Based Healing in Overseas Territories”
Registration
- 6:15–7:15 PM: “Towards New Modes of Production and Consumption in Overseas Territories”
Registration
- 7:30–8:15 PM: Community and Artistic Sharing Time
- 8:15–10 PM: “We Are the Solution” — An Interactive Musical Evening
A dynamic blend of film, dialogue, and music celebrating Caribbean women guardians of knowledge, whose practices inspire sustainable agriculture and healthier diets. They will share their journeys and engage with the audience through films highlighting their methods. The evening will feature musical interludes by Martiniquese singer Stella Gonis.
Registration
Reille chapel
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Bold city
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Cité Falguière, workshop 11
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Cité Universitaire, Hellenic Foundation
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Church of Saint Nicolas des Champs
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
FGO - Barbara
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Les audacieuses Café
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
10th arrondissement town hall
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Salle des fêtes, 11th arrondissement town hall
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Maison de la vie associative et citoyenne du 11e
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Maison des pratiques artistiques amateurs Broussais
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
And in Île-de-France:
Victor Hugo Library, Le Chesnay Rocquencourt
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Maison de la musique, Nanterre
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Espace Renaudie, Aubervilliers
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Maison Blanche Hospital, Neuilly-sur-Marne
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Nadia and Lili Boulanger Conservatory, Noisy-le-Sec
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Conservatoire Nina Simone, Romainville
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Le Forum, Boissy-Saint-Léger
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
So where do you start?
