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Origin and history

The convent of the White Ladies was founded in 1715 by the sisters of Notre-Dame de la Charité du Refuge, called by Bishop Étienne de Champfour. Originally set up at the corner of Rue Saint-Louis and Rue des Trois-Marteaux, he was tasked with welcoming and accompanying the repentant prostitutes. This convent, nicknamed "Ladies Blanches" because of the colour of their clothes, marked the religious and social life of La Rochelle by its charitable commitment.

During the French Revolution, the buildings were requisitioned and turned into a prison, then a begging depot, before becoming a hospital dedicated to maternity. These changes reflect the political and social upheavals of the time, when ecclesiastical property was often confiscated and reassigned to public or humanitarian uses.

At the beginning of the 19th century, in 1810, the convent was reconstructed in part of the former monastery of the Recollets, whose church is today the Protestant temple of La Rochelle. This relocation allowed the sisters to partially resume their activities, although in a modified framework. In 1878 they built a chapel on the Maubec wharf, marking a new architectural and spiritual stage for the community.

The Convent of the White Ladies was inscribed as historical monuments by order of 5 August 1980, thus recognizing its heritage importance. The facades and roofs, in particular, are protected, bearing witness to the religious and charitable architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, the site remains a symbol of La Rochelle's social and religious history.

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