Who was Nicolas Houel? This Parisian street whispers his name. It’s a quiet street now but its story is anything but quiet.
Rue Nicolas Houel isn’t just a street. It’s a living testament to a remarkable man. Nicolas Houel 1524-1587 was an apothecary a writer and a philanthropist. He dedicated his life to helping the poor and the sick.
His ambition was huge. He dreamed of creating a unique hospital-school. It would treat abandoned children and the poor. Simultaneously he aimed to teach them his skills. He spent over twenty years seeing the misery of those around the Place de Grève. This was at the foot of the Hôtel de Ville then under construction. People wandered seeking work near the wine wood and bleacher markets along the Seine.
He presented his project to King Henri III. The king allowed him to set up shop in the Enfants-Rouges hospital in the Marais district. This hospital was created years before by Marguerite de Navarre. But Houel’s ambitions outgrew this space. He wanted to add a school and a herb garden. He wanted young people to create and distribute remedies. This didn’t please all the apothecaries. They saw him as unwelcome competition even taking him to court.
In 1578 Houel acquired the buildings of the Lourcine hospital. This was in the Faubourg-Saint-Marcel near the Bièvre river. This old hospital once treated soldiers returning sick from the Italian wars. He saw it as the perfect start to his Maison de la Charité chrétienne. Despite many obstacles he never gave up.
In 1579 a disastrous flood of the Bièvre river destroyed everything. He had to rebuild using his personal fortune. His dream was so important. He documented it with sonnets and artist drawings. This series called ‘Procession de Louise de Lorraine’ dates from 1584. Thirteen drawings show his ideal Maison de la Charité. It included a hospital school herb garden and chapel. Dedicated to the Queen of France it was a silent plea for royal support.
The drawing of the herb garden demonstrates his knowledge of Italian botanical gardens. These gardens started in Padua and Pisa in 1545. Florence followed in 1554 and Bologna in 1567. They were the first with symmetrical geometrical designs for classifying plants.
Houel was also a poet. He created a series of sonnets for Catherine de Médicis. He commissioned illustrations from Antoine Caron a leading court artist. This series ‘L’Histoire de la Reine Artemise’ is famous. It resulted in a beautiful set of tapestries made by royal manufacturers.
Sadly he died in 1587 his project only partly finished. The Maison de la Charité chrétienne continued under Audens who married his widow. It eventually became a healthcare service for the army the first home for army invalids. Nothing remains of the buildings in Faubourg Saint-Marcel. But the herb garden was moved and expanded. It is now near Rue de l’Arbalète. It housed the College and School of Pharmacy. The Jardin Royal des plantes médicinales was created nearby. The fashion for botanical gardens was spreading throughout Europe.
Houel’s work on a plague medicine is noteworthy. He called it ‘électuaire de l’œuf’. It’s said to have cured over 1500 people in 1562 during a major plague outbreak in Paris. Today this street bears his name a fitting tribute to a remarkable life.