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Origin and history

The pension Belhomme, located at 157-163 rue de Charonne in Paris 11e, was founded around 1765 by Jacques Belhomme, a carpenter converted into a paid welcome for patients with mental disorders or old age. The latter, noting the profitability of this activity after having raised a local nobleman's "beginning fool" son, transformed his carpentry into a private pension for wealthy families. Philippe Pinel, pioneer of modern psychiatry, began his work on mental illnesses, thus marking his importance in French medical history.

During the Revolution, after the passing of the law of suspects in September 1793, the pension was requisitioned as a prison because of the overcrowding in Paris. Jacques Belhomme, taking advantage of the situation, took in wealthy prisoners — Marquises, bankers, actresses or nobles — against substantial bribes. These "privileged" inmates lived with the original residents, mentally ill. To expand its capacities, Belhomme rented and then bought the nearby Chabanese hotel, confiscated from an emigrant Marquis, thus accumulating a fortune under the Terror.

Among the famous prisoners imprisoned in Belhomme are the Duchess of Gramont (sister of the Duke of Choiseul), the Duchess of Châtelet (belle-daughter of Émilie du Châtelet), or the farmer-general Magon de La Balue, guillotined with his family to take over his fortune. The scandal broke out in January 1794: Belhomme was arrested for corruption and convicted, escaping the irons thanks to the fall of Robespierre on the 9 thormidor. The site, partially preserved as the Colbert Square, now houses a communal centre for seniors.

The Chabanais hotel, which was listed as a historic monument in 1972, was destroyed in 1972 to give way to a modern building. The original park, located at 157-161 rue de Charonne, remains as a public garden. The Belhomme pension inspired literary and cinematographic works, such as the novel La Maison Belhomme (1984) or the film Caroline Chérie (1951), demonstrating its controversial legacy between medicine, corruption and revolution.

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