ARPL 2026 - Visite guidée des collections de la Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot

Open to the public - Duration: 1h30 - No reservation required

Housed in the beautiful Du Breuil de Saint-Germain mansion (16th and 18th centuries), this museum presents the life and work of the great man in the context of the Age of Enlightenment. A man of many curiosities, both intelligent and open-minded, sensitive to the problems of his time, Denis Diderot played a major part in the intellectual revolution that marked the 18th century.

A philosopher and encyclopaedist as well as a novelist, playwright, art critic and scientist, Denis Diderot met some of the other great figures of his time, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Russian Empress Catherine II. The different facets of his character, his difficult relationship with his home town and his family, his major contribution to the Encyclopédie and his aesthetic tastes are all explored.

Please note: entry to and tours of the Maison des Lumières and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire are free on Sunday 5 October, as they are every first Sunday of the month and every 5 October, Denis Diderot's birthday.