The President of the Republic's Honorary Titles: a free exhibition at the Élysée Palace in Paris

At the Élysée Palace, power polishes its symbols. With the exhibition The Honorific Titles of the President of the Republic, presented from 28 April to 27 June 2026, the Republic’s luster is revealed from a new angle. Here, there’s no grand ceremony, but a focus on these symbolic distinctions that accompany the presidency. Admission is free and no reservation is required. An opportunity to explore this institutional gallery where every title is shaped by history.

Maison Élysée: the free Élysée museum/café, opposite the presidential palace in Paris
The Élysée Palace has finally opened the doors to its very own museum! Come and enjoy an exclusive presidential experience at the Maison de l'Élysée, located just opposite the palace. On the program? A free, royal immersion in the 600 m2 museum, café and boutique. [Read more]

Behind the role laid out in Article 5 of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic — the guarantor of upholding the texts, of the state's continuity, and of national independence — lies a whole spectrum of honorary titles. The President doesn’t just wield power: he also embodies its traditions, sometimes little known, often inherited.

Among the most emblematic, the title of grand maître de la Légion d’honneur remains the quintessential classic. Alongside it is the title of grand maître de l’ordre national du Mérite, another distinction that honors civil as well as military commitments. Beyond these roles lie quieter titles, such as chanoine d’honneur or protecteur d’institutions, testament to a long-standing heritage that remains in force.

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The free exhibition brings together around forty objects and archival documents, as many pieces that lift the veil on these little-known distinctions. Each item sheds light on a facet of this tradition, spanning the legacies of the Ancien Régime, republican institutions and national memory. The display remains deliberately understated: here, the emphasis is on detail, the behind-the-scenes perspective.

Designed with the Musée de la Légion d’honneur, the exhibition is enriched by prestigious loans—from the Musée du Président Jacques Chirac to the Institut François Mitterrand, via the Domaine national de Chambord and the Library of the Institute of France—promising to draw on a diverse range of collections to document these titles and their evolution.