Journées du Matrimoine
Discovering the cultural heritage of women
2026
About Journées du Matrimoine
Journées du Matrimoine — edition 2026
The 2026 Journées du Matrimoine will take place from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20 in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, in parallel with the European Heritage Days. Created by the HF Île-de-France association, these days aim to highlight the women who have shaped our cultural history. This year's program includes a 5 km run in the 10th arrondissement, a performance centered on Rosa Parks, tours of housing complexes designed by architect Renée Gailhoustet, film screenings, lectures, and urban walks. Almost everything is free.
2026 Edition — September 18 to 20
The 2026 edition begins on Friday, September 18, the day before the European Heritage Days, and continues throughout the weekend. Events are scattered across Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis: libraries and media libraries, art-house cinemas, museums, theaters, memorials, as well as streets, squares, and gardens named after women.
As of mid-August 2026, the HF Île-de-France association has not yet published the full regional program: its website, hf-idf.org, is returning errors on all pages. The known events are those announced by the City of Paris in its "Que faire à Paris" agenda, by the 10th arrondissement town hall, and by Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme, which publishes the departmental section. The portal lematrimoine.fr, managed by HF Île-de-France, redirects to the programs of the HF associations in each region.
The Palais de la Femme celebrates its 100th anniversary
The Palais de la Femme, 94 rue de Charonne (11th), is opening its doors on September 19 and 20. The building was purchased in 1925 thanks to a fundraising campaign launched by Salvation Army officer Blanche Peyron to create a shelter for single women; it opened on June 23, 1926, and was listed as a historical monument in 2003. Its centenary program has not yet been published. The documentary exhibition "From a Convent to the Palais de la Femme," designed with the Histoire & Mémoire du 11e association, will be on display from September 7 to 27.
Highlights Journées du Matrimoine 2026
- Matrimoine Fun Run, 4th edition: 5 km in the 10th arrondissement, Friday, September 18 at 7:00 PM, starting from the town hall
- "Rosa Parks' Umbrella," interactive performance by Compagnie Le Makila, Saturday, September 19 at 6:30 PM at the Saint-Lazare Chapel (10th)
- Pol Pi presents his creation "Schönheit ist Nebensache" at Le Regard du Cygne (20th), Friday, September 18 at 8:00 PM, in partnership with the Festival d'Automne
- The Palais de la Femme (11th) opens its doors on September 19 and 20 for its centenary
- Renée Gailhoustet's Maladrerie in Aubervilliers: 3.5-hour tour on Saturday, September 19 at 2:30 PM
- Documentary on Cubist painter María Blanchard, Sunday, September 20 at 5:00 PM at FIAP Paris (14th)
- Almost all events are free, several require booking
Programme Journées du Matrimoine 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026
Paris
- 7:00 PM — Matrimoine Fun Run, 4th edition · 5 km course, open to all levels, organized with the Sine Qua Non association · Start and finish at the 10th arrondissement town hall, 72 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin · Group warm-up in the square, followed by ten stops: Saint-Lazare prison and its open-air exhibition, Françoise Sagan media library, Place Madeleine Braun, Jardin Villemin - Mahsa Jîna Amini, Maria Pacôme bridge, Agnès Tirop sports field (muscle strengthening break), Annette Zaidman school, Bernadette Lafont bridge, Jane Birkin footbridge, Mila Racine school · Refreshments and quiz at the finish line · Free, registration required
- 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM — Lecture: "The Matilda Effect: 'Invisibilized' Women Scientists" by historian Louis-Pascal Jacquemond · Georges Brassens library, 38 rue Gassendi (14th) · For adults · Free, reservation required ([email protected], 01 53 90 30 30)
- 8:00 PM — "Schönheit ist Nebensache" (Beauty is secondary), dance performance by Pol Pi - Compagnie NO DRAMA · Le Regard du Cygne, 210 rue de Belleville (20th) · Duration: 1 hour · €17 full price, €11 reduced price, booking required · In partnership with the Festival d'Automne
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Paris
- 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM — Guided tours of the exhibition "Prisoners: The Final Years of Saint-Lazare Prison (1919-1932)" · Françoise Sagan media library, 8 rue Léon Schwartzenberg (10th) · Ages 12+ · Free, booking online (Billetweb), by phone at 01 53 24 69 70, or on-site
- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Feminist board game session, hosted by the Aimé Césaire library and Le Moulin à Café community café · 8 rue Sainte-Léonie (14th) · Free
- 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM — "Rosa Parks' Umbrella and Other Totem Objects," interactive performance by Compagnie Le Makila, with Plateau Urbain and the 10th arrondissement town hall · Saint-Lazare Chapel, 6 rue Léon Schwartzenberg (10th), access via Square Alban Satragne · Ages 11+ · Free
Seine-Saint-Denis
- 11:30 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM — "Mozin'Arts Prelude": Guided tour of the roof, hanging gardens, and the "Saucer" of the Mozinor industrial complex, France's first vertical factory (1970, architects Claude Le Goas and G.-P. Bertrand) · Montreuil · Duration: 1h30 · Free
- 2:15 PM, 2:30 PM, and 2:45 PM — "Women and Architecture: The Scavenger Hunt," organized by the Villetaneuse town hall · Riddles and challenges featuring Annie Ernaux, Clara Zetkin, Mariette Petitot, and Jacqueline Quatremaire, with works by caricaturist Wali-Yovan · Duration: 2 hours · Free
- 2:30 PM — "Renée Gailhoustet's Maladrerie in Aubervilliers," guided tour by Benoît Pouvreau, heritage inventory officer for the Seine-Saint-Denis Department, in collaboration with the city of Aubervilliers and the Jardins à tous les étages association · Duration: 3h30 · Ages 15+ · Free
- 3:00 PM — "Women in the City," urban walk by Les Cultiveuses exploring the history of women in Épinay-sur-Seine since the 18th century, including nurses, boatwomen, resistance fighters, and artists · Épinay-sur-Seine, Archives, Heritage and Tourism Department · Duration: 1 hour · Free
- 4:30 PM — Lecture: "Poor Parisian Women Leading the Revolution (1789-1804)" by historian Brigitte Dionnet, marking the release of her new book · Musée de l'Histoire vivante, Parc Montreau, 31 boulevard Théophile Sueur, Montreuil
- 6:00 PM — "Port of Shadows" (Quai des Brumes) by Marcel Carné, screened in 35mm, followed by a film quiz · Jacques Tati cinema, Tremblay-en-France · Duration: 2 hours · Free
- 6:30 PM — "ADA," a theatrical and musical reading by the company Les Filles de Simone in tribute to Ada Lovelace · Musée de l'Histoire vivante, Montreuil · Ages 12+
- 8:30 PM — "Playtime" by Jacques Tati, 4K restored version, introduced by journalist and director Laurent Galinon · Jacques Tati cinema, Tremblay-en-France · Duration: 2 hours · Free
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Paris
- 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM — Guided tours of the exhibition "Prisoners: The Final Years of Saint-Lazare Prison (1919-1932)" · Françoise Sagan media library, 8 rue Léon Schwartzenberg (10th) · Ages 12+ · Free, reservation required
- 5:00 PM — Screening of the documentary "26, Rue du Départ. Érase una vez París" by Gloria Crespo MacLennan, dedicated to Cubist painter María Blanchard · FIAP Paris auditorium, 30 rue Cabanis (14th) · Free, reservation required
Seine-Saint-Denis
- 11:30 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM — "Mozin'Arts Prelude," guided tour of the Mozinor industrial complex · Montreuil · Duration: 1h30 · Free
- 2:00 PM — Film scratching and drawing workshop with the Braquage association, for a collective film to be screened in 16mm · Jacques Prévert cinema, Aulnay-sous-Bois · Ages 6+ · Accessible to people with reduced mobility · Free
- 2:00 PM — Immersive trail "Hélène Berr and Charlotte Salomon, Two Voices of the Shoah": At the Drancy Shoah Memorial, a guided tour with readings from Hélène Berr's "Journal" by actress Maud Landau; at the Bobigny Station Memorial, a poetic and sonic stroll around Charlotte Salomon's "Life? or Theatre?"
- 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM — "Meeting the Industrial Matrimoine of Pantin," guided tour by Clémence Bell in front of the city's former factories, tracing the lives of female cigarette makers, laundresses, and assembly line workers · Pantin · Duration: 1h30 · Ages 12+ · Free
- 3:00 PM — Walk through Bobigny with Juliette Dubois: filming locations ("Superstar," "La Gravité," "An Easy Girl," "Divines," "November," "La Cour des miracles," and the series "66.5" and "En place"), the legacy of women in cinema around Alice Guy, the Bobigny trial, and the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer and Michel Folliasson
- 3:00 PM — Workshop with artist Joris Valenzuela, "Revealing the Traces of the Place": latex molding to capture imprints of walls, stones, and wood, led by Aurélie Thuez · Centre Tignous d'art contemporain, Montreuil · Free
- 4:00 PM — 16mm film screening of the works created during the 2:00 PM workshop, followed by the short film program "Images at Play" by Norman McLaren (47 min) · Jacques Prévert cinema, Aulnay-sous-Bois · Duration: 2 hours · Ages 7+ · Free
All Weekend
- Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 — Shows and concerts at the Murs à pêches in Montreuil, with a predominantly female lineup · Pay-what-you-want entry · Information from the Fédération des Murs à pêches
- Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 — The Palais de la Femme, 94 rue de Charonne (11th), opens its doors for its centenary · Detailed program to be announced
- Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 — The City of Paris heritage libraries participate in the 43rd European Heritage and Matrimoine Days, focusing on "Photography Heritage" and "Heritage in Danger: Reviving, Resisting, Reimagining"
- September 3 to October 24 — Exhibition "Where's Our Money?" on equal pay and women's financial independence, featuring artworks, texts, and archives · Centre Tignous d'art contemporain, Montreuil
- September 7 to 27 — Documentary exhibition "From a Convent to the Palais de la Femme," designed with the Histoire & Mémoire du 11e association · Palais de la Femme, 94 rue de Charonne (11th)
The full Île-de-France program is not yet online: as of mid-August 2026, the HF Île-de-France association website is inaccessible. The events listed above are those already announced by the City of Paris, the 10th arrondissement town hall, the Palais de la Femme, and Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme. More will be added by September.
Prices Journées du Matrimoine 2026
Known exceptions to date:
- Pol Pi performance at Le Regard du Cygne (20th), Friday, September 18: €17 full price, €11 reduced price.
- Shows and concerts at the Murs à pêches in Montreuil: pay-what-you-want entry.
Practical information — Journées du Matrimoine
Practical Information
Access
Events are spread across numerous locations in Paris and the Île-de-France region, including museums, libraries, media centers, cinemas, theaters, conservatories, historical monuments, and public spaces. Each event has its own meeting point, which is specified on its individual listing.
Prices
Almost all events are free. A few shows may have an entry fee or operate on a pay-what-you-wish basis.
Program
The website lematrimoine.fr, managed by HF Île-de-France, provides links to the programs of HF associations in each region. For the Île-de-France region, events are also listed on the City of Paris's 'Que faire à Paris' agenda, and for Seine-Saint-Denis, via Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme and the Explore Paris ticketing platform.
Tips
- Many tours, workshops, and lectures have limited capacity and require advance booking.
- Venues are scattered throughout the region: plan your route and check event times before you head out.
- Many activities are suitable for children, with age recommendations starting from 6, 7, or 12 years old depending on the event.
Journées du Matrimoine: Highlighting Women in History
The Journées du Matrimoine (Heritage Days for Women) were launched in 2015 following a simple observation: during the traditional Heritage Days, the sites, works, and figures being celebrated were overwhelmingly male. The HF Île-de-France association, which campaigns for gender equality in the arts and culture, created this event to focus on women's cultural legacy, scheduled for the third weekend of September.
What is 'Matrimoine'?
The term is an old one. Formed on the model of 'patrimoine' (patrimony/heritage from the father), it refers to the heritage passed down from the mother; it was discarded by the Académie française in the 17th century. The Journées du Matrimoine use the term to bring forgotten female authors, painters, architects, composers, directors, choreographers, scientists, and activists out of the shadows—women who were often recognized in their lifetime only to be erased after their deaths.
A Free Program Across the Region
Throughout the weekend, enjoy tours, visits, exhibitions, installations, shows, performances, concerts, lectures, readings, and screenings. Events take place in museums, libraries, theaters, conservatories, cinemas, and public spaces across Paris and the Île-de-France region. Almost everything is free, and the program is designed for everyone, from children to adults.
A Growing Movement
Today, Journées du Matrimoine events are held in Normandy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, and La Réunion, as well as in Belgium, Spain, the UK, and Italy. Each regional HF association publishes its own program. A specific figure is chosen each year for the poster: in 2025, for the tenth anniversary, it was the architect Renée Gailhoustet (1929-2023), a pioneer of social housing.
Where does it take place — Journées du Matrimoine
Journées du Matrimoine in brief
History of Journées du Matrimoine
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Paris
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