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Origin and history

The Vieille Charité, located at 2 rue de la Charité in the 2nd arrondissement of Marseille, was built in the 17th century according to plans of Pierre Puget to accommodate the indigents of the city. This project was part of the "great lock-up" movement, a royal policy aimed at bringing together beggars and vagrants. The first stone was laid in 1640 after two decades of preparation, but it was only in 1671 that Puget's final project, born in the neighbourhood, was retained. The works, led by his brother Jean and master mason Jacques Borély, began the same year, despite recurrent financial difficulties.

The building was built over several decades: the north wing was completed in 1678, while the chapel, financed by a donation from Honoré de Seigneur, was not completed until 1704, after Puget's death in 1694. All the buildings, in pink and white stone of the Crown, were finally completed in 1745 under the direction of François Puget, son of the architect. The site, organised around a closed rectangular courtyard, included galleries on three levels and a baroque chapel with an elliptical dome, symbol of the religious architecture of the time.

In the 18th century, the Old Charity became a place of repression of begging, where the "hunt-hunters" stopped the beggars of Marseilles to lock them up. The 1,059 residents in 1760 were required to work in workshops or to be placed as servants. However, with changes in attitudes, the number of internees gradually declined to 250 in 1781. After the Revolution, the Hospice served as asylum for the elderly until 1890, when they were transferred to Sainte-Marguerite.

In the 20th century, the building, falling into ruins, was occupied by poor families and precarious craft activities. Threatened by disappearance, he was saved by his classification as a historical monument in 1951, followed by a major restoration campaign between 1961 and 1986. Under the impetus of André Malraux, Minister of Culture, the pink molasse facades and interiors were renovated, giving the building its original brilliance. The chapel, with its neoclassical porch added in the 19th century, was also restored.

Since the 1980s, Old Charity has become a major cultural centre in Marseille. It houses the Mediterranean Archaeology Museum, the African, Oceanian and Amerindian Art Museum, as well as research institutions such as the Norbert Elias Centre (EHESS/CNRS). The Centre international de poésie Marseille (CipM) also organizes literary events. This place, once a symbol of the confinement of the poor, is today a space dedicated to knowledge and creation.

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