Mercy-Argenteau Hotel at the European Heritage Days

There are secret addresses whose mere name resonates like a promise of elegance. Parisian residences that, sheltered from the hustle and bustle, preserve the memory of centuries and the art of hospitality. The Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, listed as a Historic Monument and a jewel of the Grands Boulevards district, is one of them.

For the first time, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days On September 20 and 21, 2025, the public is invited to step through its doors. Behind its 18th-century facades, it is not just a private mansion that we discover, but a universe: that of THESchool of Jewelry Arts, founded in 2012 with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, which now deploys all its activities there. Between history, know-how and transmission, this meeting is designed as a total, refined and sensitive immersion.

Built in 1778, the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau is one of the oldest preserved private mansions in the district. A rare survival in a Paris that has been transformed over the centuries. Its walls tell the story of one man's life: Florimond-Claude de Mercy-Argenteau, Austrian diplomat, ambassador of Maria Theresa of Austria to the court of France and close advisor to Marie Antoinette.

This is where a discreet part of European diplomacy was written. Mercy-Argenteau was not only a privileged observer of Versailles: he was one of its finest cogs, informing Vienna of court life and guiding the young dauphine through the whirlwinds of a nascent reign. The correspondence he left behind reveals a man as subtle as he was strategic, whose influence still lingers in the history of Franco-Austrian alliances.

The Hotel is thus much more than a setting. It is a witness: that of an era when thelifestyle, diplomacy and architecture were combined in an aesthetic of moderation and discreet pomp.

Since June 2024, the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau has housed The School of Jewelry Arts, created with the ambition of democratizing jewelry culture. Its activities cover three main areas: the history of jewelry, the world of stones and know-how.

Introductory courses, conferences, practical workshops, exhibitions, specialist bookstore and thematic library: everything contributes to making the place a house of jewelry art open to all, from the simply curious to the enlightened amateur.

With permanent branches in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Dubai, as well as its "nomadic sessions" organized around the world, the School embodies a unique cultural and artisanal diplomacy. Upon crossing the threshold of the Hotel, one enters a sanctuary where the demands of knowledge blend with the poetry of gems.

For this first heritage meeting, the School has imagined a exclusive route where visits, conferences and workshops are combined. A program designed as a bridge between memory and creation, history and gesture.

From 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., visitors will be invited to a 1-hour 10-minute exploration, punctuated by stops in the salons, staircases, and reception areas. Through these perspectives, the story of a Paris in full diplomatic effervescence in the 18th century emerges.

But the visit also offers a fascinating immersion into the exhibition “The rediscovered gesture: reconstruction of the Celtic torque of Montans”This scientific and artisanal adventure mobilized historians, archaeologists and craftsmen to recreate a Celtic gold torque dating back more than 2,000 years. A true masterpiece of ancient goldsmithing, this necklace is intriguing due to its technical virtuosity, which still surpasses our modern understanding. The exhibition highlights this work of the hand, this intelligence of gestures transmitted through time, a striking resonance with the very vocation of the School.

At 16 p.m. and 16:40 p.m., a time will be reserved for younger visitors. By discovering the jewelers' tools, children learn that behind each piece of jewelry lie hours of patience, precision, and attention to detail. Then, following the story of the Count of Mercy-Argenteau and his relationship with Marie-Antoinette, they delve into a fresco where heritage becomes a tale. A poetic workshop, both fun and educational, designed to awaken the senses from age 7.

Walls also speak through books. Historian Léonard Pouy will present his work. “The Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau: a setting for history” alongside Stéphane Pesnel, lecturer at the Sorbonne. Together, they will uncover the resonances between this place and Austrian history, between diplomacy and literature. The figure of Marie-Antoinette, sublimated by the pen of Stefan Zweig, will serve as the common thread in this dialogue where erudition meets emotion.

At 15 p.m., a lecture will explore the unique relationship between Mercy-Argenteau and Marie-Antoinette. Her letters, veritable chronicles of court life, reveal her central role during significant episodes such as the Affair of the Queen's Necklace. Caroline Benzaria and Gilliane Bérardini, art historians and professors at the École Polytechnique, will guide the audience behind the scenes of a century where jewelry and diplomacy intertwined.

What distinguishes this opening is the refinement of experienceEach visit is limited in number, each encounter designed as a special moment. In a world saturated with speed, the School offers a rare luxury: that of time, attention, and transmission.

Discovering the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau is much more than admiring architecture: it is entering a space where diplomatic history meets exceptional craftsmanship, where the memory of a Celtic necklace dialogues with contemporary creation, where we learn to see differently.

This weekend is also marked by the presence of the Austrian Cultural Forum Paris, partner of the literary meeting. True to its mission of encouraging cultural exchange, the Forum places this event in a historical continuity between Vienna and Paris, between Marie-Thérèse, Marie-Antoinette and the links of yesterday and today. A way of reminding us that heritage, like jewelry, is always shaped by circulation and crossed perspectives.

• Dates : Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21, 2025

• Location : Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis boulevard Montmartre, Paris 9th

• Activities : guided tours, exhibitions, conferences, children's workshops, literary meetings

• 🕒 Schedule : 10 a.m. – 18:30 p.m. (last visit at 17:20 p.m.)

• Access : free upon reservation via lecolevancleefarpels.com

A victim of its own success, the booking site often sells out several days before the event. However, it's advisable not to give up: last-minute cancellations regularly allow access to activities. A visit to the site can therefore hold some nice surprises.

This year, the 2025 European Heritage Days offer a rare opportunity to step inside a Parisian mansion usually closed to the public. But through the School of Jewelry Arts, a much more profound experience is taking shape: a journey through time, where the gestures of Celtic artisans meet those of contemporary jewelers, where 18th-century diplomacy interacts with today's jewelry creation.

In the intimate setting of the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, visitors are invited to an aesthetic and intellectual experience that embodies thelifestyle French style: a combination of knowledge, refinement, and openness to the world. A suspended moment, a rare encounter, a discreet luxury.

This September weekend will be more than a visit: a celebration of heritage, beauty, and the human hand that shapes both precious stones and the memory of places.