Hospital Saint-Louis (Paris)

The hospital Saint-Louis is a Hôpital of the Public assistance - hospital of Paris (AP-HP) located in the 10 {{E}} district of Paris, in the north of the street Bichat, 1 rue Claude Vellefaux.

Created by Henri IV to unchoke the Hospital at the time of epidemic of plague, it gave him the name of Saint-Louis in remembering its grandfather Louis {{IX}} died of the plague in front of Tunis in 1270.

Today, the Saint-Louis hospital uses its historical buildings for the administrative activities, and is equipped since years 1980 with a new modern real unit where its hospital and university missions of University hospital are carried out (CHU). Its major specialities are the Dermatologie, the Hématologie as well as the Cancérologie. It employs 2500 people, of which a thousand of medical personnel.

History

The Saint-Louis Hospital was built at the beginning of the 17th century on decision of Henri {{IV}}, which signed on May 17th 1607 the edict melting this hospital, following serious or worrying epidemics in 1562, 1596 and 1606.

It is initially about an intermittent hospital, used in period of epidemic, to quarantine the patients infected at the variation the populated zones of the French capital. This is why this hospital is installed apart from the limits of Paris, off the suburb of the temple, then in the middle of the fields which surrounded Paris, as the plan Turgot carried out shows it later a score of years.

At the origin called 'House of Santé" , the hospital took the name of Saint Louis in remembering the king Louis {{IX}}, which died of an epidemic known as of plague (and actually of dysentery) under the ramparts of Tunis, in 1270 at the end of the Eighth crusade (organized by Louis IX).

Construction is rather fast, with as usual the vault for the first construction. It is in this vault that will be celebrated the funeral mass of the king Henri {{IV}} (assassinated by Ravaillac in 1610), probably on a music of the Missa pro defunctis of Eustace of Caurroy (1549-1609). The construction of the whole of the hospital finished in 1612.

The first periods when the hospital was in service were:

1616 with 1636 without stopping (epidemics);
1651, during the Sling;
1670 with 1671 (epidemic known as of scurvy);
1709 with 1710 (idem);
1729 with 1730 (idem);
of 1731 with 1740, the buildings of the hospital were used as attic with corn;
in 1749 one locks up there the beggars and vagrants of Paris;
of 1754 with 1767 to unchoke Hospital of Paris in full center of Paris on the Island of the City;
starting from 1773 following the fire of the Hospital. The Saint-Louis hospital will not close any more starting from this date, becoming a permanent hospital.

The hospital played a significant part in the development of the dermatology at the 19th century. It always shelters a museum of moulding on this topic.

Epidemics at the 16th century

The problem of the epidemics is very present at the 16th century, even if it is not new.

The word of Peste is then used in a generic way, to cover any disease giving place to a strong epidemic. For the only epidemic of 1562, the registers of the Hôtel-Dieu of Paris count more than sixty thousand dead.

The architecture of the old hospital

The architect Claude Chastillon, has who one owes the Place from the Vosges in Paris, conceives the organization of the project of the hospital, the plans and rises. Claude Vellefaux, as for him, directs the building site from there. (Sources: French topography Paris 1648, Files AP).

Claude Vellefaux is the architect of this superb unit (sources: Internet site of the Saint-Louis Hospital). It gave its name to a close street.

The architecture of the Saint-Louis hospital in fact like small a Place of the Vosges , built at the same time. A square court of 120 meters east coast surrounded like a cloister, buildings with the limestone and brick frontages.

The architecture of the modern hospital

Decided in 1974, the modern hospital has as architects D. Russet-red-Dorlut Badani and P. It was built in two sections, finished respectively in 1984 and 1989. The whole of the hospital care are transferred in this new hospital which for an important part is built in lower part of the level of the surrounding streets, in order not to crush the historical building close to the old hospital.

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