Two weeks after her sudden death, Mathilde Favier was given a final tribute on Monday, August 31st, in Paris. The funeral of the public relations director of Christian Dior Couture was held at 14:30 p.m. at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in the 6th arrondissement. The ceremony took place a few hours after the funeral of her partner, Nicolas Altmayer, which was held that morning in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. For her final journey, Mathilde Favier rested in a wicker coffin , a particularly unusual choice for her funeral.
A wicker coffin for Mathilde Favier
Mathilde Favier's wicker coffin was carried inside the imposing Saint-Sulpice church, where her family, friends, colleagues, and numerous public figures gathered to pay their final respects. This choice, a departure from traditional wooden coffins, lent a unique character to the ceremony. Mathilde Favier was 57 years old. A renowned figure in Parisian fashion and luxury, she had held important positions at Dior for many years. She had become one of the fashion house's key contacts with artists, celebrities, and the international press.
Saint-Sulpice for a final farewell
The ceremony had been announced by her children, Héloïse and Carlo Agostinelli, their father and siblings, her mother, her sisters Victoire de Castellane and Pauline Hénin, and her uncle Gilles Dufour. The date of Mathilde Favier and Nicolas Altmayer's funeral had been made public a few days earlier. The families had chosen the same Monday, August 31st, to pay tribute to the two victims of the terrible accident of August 17th. A few hours before the funeral, Héloïse Agostinelli also shared a particularly personal message she had received from her mother: "My child. My daughter, madly in love. The flesh of my blood. I love you infinitely, and I am infinitely there for you."
Nicolas Altmayer was honored a few hours earlier
The day had begun a few hundred meters away with the funeral of Nicolas Altmayer, 61, at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church. Numerous figures from the French film industry had traveled to pay tribute to the producer. Among those present were Jean Dujardin, Gad Elmaleh, Fabrice Luchini, Gilles Lellouche, Tahar Rahim, Franck Gastambide, Philippe Lacheau, Guillaume Gallienne, Roschdy Zem, José Garcia, Manu Payet, Grand Corps Malade, François Damiens, and Mélanie Laurent. Claire Chazal, Laurent Delahousse, Alice Taglioni, Nicolas Seydoux, Xavier Niel, Delphine Arnault, and Antoine Arnault. Nicolas Altmayer's passing had triggered a significant wave of emotion in the French film world. Jean Dujardin paid tribute to his producer and friend , with whom he had worked for over twenty years, notably on Brice de Nice and OSS 117 . Franck Gastambide also delivered a very personal tribute , evoking the man he considered his mentor and "the father I would have liked to have".
Two families united by the same tragedy
In their respective obituaries, the families made a point of including both deceased. Mathilde Favier's family stated that they "shared the grief of the family of Nicolas Altmayer, who passed away alongside Mathilde ." The producer's family sent the same message to Mathilde Favier's family. The two ceremonies held on Monday thus formed the two parts of a single day of mourning: Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the morning for Nicolas Altmayer, then Saint-Sulpice in the afternoon for Mathilde Favier.
Mathilde Favier and Nicolas Altmayer were killed together on August 17th
Mathilde Favier and Nicolas Altmayer died on August 17 in a collision with a truck on the D938, near Airvault, in the Deux-Sèvres department. The couple was traveling in a car when a violent collision occurred with the oncoming truck. Both were killed instantly. The precise circumstances of the tragedy are currently under investigation. Initial findings have revealed two conflicting accounts . According to information released by the Niort prosecutor's office, the truck swerved toward the car before crossing the solid line separating the lanes. The truck driver, however, maintains that Mathilde Favier and Nicolas Altmayer's vehicle deviated from its trajectory and crossed the line. A judicial inquiry for "involuntary manslaughter by a driver" has been opened to precisely establish the circumstances of the collision and any potential liability. At this stage, no definitive criminal liability has been established.
A day of double farewells in Paris
Fourteen days after the accident, the loved ones of Nicolas Altmayer and Mathilde Favier bid them farewell on the same day in Paris. That morning, the French film community gathered in Saint-Germain-des-Prés to pay tribute to the producer of Brice de Nice , OSS 117, and Monsieur Aznavour . A few hours later, family, friends, and loved ones of Mathilde Favier gathered at Saint-Sulpice Church. Her wicker coffin accompanied this final homage to the woman who had occupied a central place in the world of Dior and Parisian fashion for many years.
