The Maison Saint-Vincent-de-Paul is a beautiful building. It stands tall, a grand structure of exposed stone and intricate carvings. This impressive building in the 10th arrondissement is a testament to its long history, having served many purposes over the years.
Right here in front of you stands a building that has served as a leper colony, a prison and, of course, as a house dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul. This Maison Saint-Vincent-de-Paul was first built in the 12th century. It was originally a leper colony, located in a marshy area on the road between Paris and the Basilica of Saint-Denis. It then became the home and workplace of the famous Saint Vincent de Paul.
The saint devoted his life to aiding the poor and sick. He founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Mission – the Lazarists – in this very spot in 1625. He even created a congregation known as the Daughters of Charity. Vincent de Paul was beatified in 1729 and canonised as a saint in 1737. The site was occupied by his creation, the Congregation of the Mission, until the French Revolution.
Following the French Revolution, the site was transformed into the Saint-Lazare Prison. The prison was often overcrowded. Some of the prisoners inside these very walls included the playwright and diplomat Pierre Beaumarchais, the social theorist Henri de Saint-Simon, the poet André Chénier, the painter Hubert Robert and the Marquis de Sade.
The last structures of the prison were not demolished until 1935. The building of the current Maison Saint-Vincent-de-Paul was completed in 1844 in Neo-classical style. The Maison Saint-Vincent-de-Paul is now a much-loved building amongst the locals and a popular attraction for the city’s tourists.