Every year in September, the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days ) take place all over Europe. This not-to-be-missed cultural event is a real must for art and history enthusiasts, as well as for the curious looking for ever more discoveries. Over the course of a weekend, monuments, museums, castles and other sites usually closed to the public open their doors to you, unveiling an exciting program of often free visits and events designed to help you (re)discover Europe's heritage in a whole new way.
Paris and the whole of the Île-de-France region don't intend to miss this opportunity to reveal their finest treasures! While the City of Light is always in the spotlight, the Journées du Patrimoine are also the perfect time to explore the rest of the Ile-de-France region, especially Essonne, where a great program awaits you.
This time, we're taking you within navigo range, to the town of Sainte-Geneviève des Bois, where numerous monuments are opening their doors to you on the occasion of the Heritage Days. You'll have the chance to plan your whole day in this town, whose rich heritage is sure to win you over! Here, you can literally step back in time through monuments representing many different eras. So, are you ready to discover this year's program?
Heritage Days 2024 at the Sainte-Geneviève des Bois keep
What could be more poetic than water? Through an artistic journey between the Perray and Donjon washhouses, and the Piscine d'en Face, visual artists Louise Alice and Phillip Robert are restoring these no-longer-looked-at places to their original function.
" Le Grand Chariot is an ephemeral work. The object bears the memory of the metamorphosis of the "old swimming pool" and commemorates the "Lavandières du Perray". It's an immobile vehicle which, as our memories and dreams take us, connects us and takes us along a real path, passing by "la Piscine d'en Face", "le Canal", "le Donjon", and "le Lavoir du Perray".
Water is, or has been, present in these 4 places. Over time, we decide where water should be, where it should no longer be, and where it should return, forgetting that it falls from the sky, trickles down, and nourishes the earth for our well-being."
Phillip Robert
Self-guided tour - A mediation session will be led by artist Phillip Robert at the Piscine d'en Face.
The Donjon, a large medieval tower that has survived to the present day, remains, along with the adjoining outbuildings, the only evidence of what could have become a little Versailles.
By Isabelle Ploton and Patrick Hottot of Les Amis de l'Histoire de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.
Heritage Days at the Salle Gérard Philippe in Sainte-Geneviève des Bois
Keep your eyes peeled! Artist Jean-Paul Hébrard will be taking over every neighborhood with his collages of pictograms. An original way to observe the city's monuments and other buildings!
Heritage Days 2024 at Perray Vaucluse in Sainte-Geneviève des Bois
A 19th century establishment opened in 1869 to house Parisian mental patients.
By Patrick Hottot, of Les Amis de Vaucluse and Les Amis de l'Histoire de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Piscine d'en Face in Sainte-Geneviève des bois
If you like unusual architecture and dance, these tours are for you! The original spaces of La Piscine d'en Face will be enhanced by the presence and movements of the Micro-Sens dancers, who will occupy the pools, passageways and even the most unsuspected corners, allowing you to see the premises in a sensitive and lively way. A visit full of surprises, which becomes a wandering show.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Geneviève des Bois
Orthodox church in the Russian tradition, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God (Assumption of the Virgin Mary), inaugurated in 1939. Featuring numerous icons and wall paintings.
The church crypt will be open to the public.
The largest necropolis of Russian emigration in the world, with over 5,200 tombs and celebrities such as dancer Rudolf Nureyev, Prince Felix Yusupov (the man who murdered Rasputin), Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin and many others.
By Jean-Pierre Lamotte and Pascal Monchâtre of Les Amis de l'Histoire de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.
Orthodox church in the Russian tradition, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God (Assumption of the Virgin Mary), inaugurated in 1939. Featuring numerous icons and murals.
CESOR (Comité d'Entretien des Sépultures Orthodoxes Russes) offers a guided tour of the Orthodox church in the Russian cemetery from 12:00 to 12:30 pm.
Visit by Father Anatole Négruta of CESOR.
The church crypt will be open to the public.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 21, 2024 to September 22, 2024
Location
Sainte-Geneviève des Bois
sainte-geneviève des bois
91700 Sainte Genevieve des Bois
Official website
www.sgdb91.com
