Former national asylum for convalescents at Saint-Maurice

Currently part of the Paris-Est Val de Marne Hospitals, the former Imperial, and later National, Convalescent Home stands as a symbol of the thinking around the design of healthcare institutions in the second half of the 19th century.
The construction of the Imperial Convalescent Home of Saint-Maurice was initiated by Napoleon III in response to a longstanding concern: caring for the sick or injured who had recovered enough to leave the hospital, yet were still unable to support themselves.

Various attempts to establish such a facility around Paris had been made since the 17th century. Under the Second Empire, the rapid growth of the Parisian population and the scale of construction work in the capital—along with the resulting number of workplace accidents among construction workers—made the issue even more pressing.

Napoleon thus decided to create a convalescent home. Just over 16 hectares were allocated from the Bois de Vincennes, which at the time belonged to the crown estate. The term asile (asylum) was chosen to designate the new institution—a word which, at that time, was not associated with psychiatry or even strictly with the medical world.

Construction took place between 1855 and 1857. Around a central courtyard, architect Laval designed a facility that was neither a hospice nor a prison, with a strong emphasis on hygiene and the comfort of its residents: all rooms faced south, and unlike the standard hospital practice of the time, no large dormitories were built.

The site itself was chosen for its healthful qualities: located on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes, in a largely rural commune, on an elevated plateau that ensured good air circulation. To preserve this environment, any type of construction that might disturb the residents was prohibited in the surrounding area. The “treatment” consisted mainly of rest in the open air, far from the city, combined with a healthy and plentiful diet. Verlaine, who stayed there three times, particularly praised the quality of the desserts.

Renamed the National Convalescent Home of Saint-Maurice in 1900, the institution gradually developed a specialization in rehabilitative care. After an initial merger with the nearby Esquirol Hospital, it is now part of the Paris-Est Val de Marne Hospitals, following its integration with the Les Murets Hospital Center in La Queue-en-Brie.