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Origin and history

The regional asylum of Yonne, founded in 1838 following the law on alienated persons, was designed by Dr Girard de Cailleux according to the therapeutic principles of Esquirol. Placed on the site of an old 17th century general hospital, it separates patients by pathology in symmetrical pavilions, connected by covered galleries. The Notre-Dame-de-Lorette chapel (1761), with a neo-classical façade, and the 19th century buildings (1840-1860) have been listed as historical monuments since 2002.

The establishment, a model for other French asylums such as Sainte-Anne, received the support of Prefect Haussmann (1850-1852), which allowed the work to be completed in 1858. Powered by a distant source via a 340 m tunnel, it integrated vegetable gardens and the close of the Chainette, a historic vineyard. Requisitioned by the Waffen-SS in 1944, it became a specialized hospital in 1980 before being transformed into a residence (Clos des Vignes) in 2005, maintaining its 19th century structures.

The original general hospital (1675), founded by Bishop Nicolas Colbert for orphans and old people, housed a cotton factory in the 18th century. The chapel, rebuilt in 1761 by architect Durand, was preserved during the partial demolition of the buildings in 1824 to give way to the asylum. The symmetrical plans, inspired by Esquirol theories, classified patients into four categories (payable, agitated, etc.), with workshops and green spaces as therapeutic tools.

Architects Jean Boivin and M. Piéplup led the works (1841-1858), while Baron Haussmann, the future prefect of the Seine, saw there a prototype for Parisian asylums. The reservoir, morgue, and the doctor-director's house (registered in 2002) complete the whole, now departmental public property. The new hospital buildings (2003-2006) have replaced obsolete structures, but historical pavilions, symbols of psychiatric evolution, remain.

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