Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Faculty of Medicine of Paris, located at 13-15 rue de la Bûcherie (5th arrondissement), finds its origins in the 14th century with the gradual acquisition of houses between 1369 and 1608. These buildings, whose evocative names (house of the Soufflet, of the Three Kings, etc.) reflect their medieval history, house a botanical garden, library, chapel and anatomical theatre rebuilt several times (1578, 1604, 1620). The site, close to the Seine, was regularly flooded, pushing for renovations like that financed in 1643 by Michel Le Masle, commemorated by a plaque in 1678.

In the 18th century, the faculty modernized its amphitheatre to compete with that of surgeons, inaugurated in 1745 under the direction of architect Barbier de Blignier. However, the floods and the old places led to his abandonment in 1775, when he was transferred to the new medical school. Sold as national property during the Revolution, the buildings became workshops, houses or even a washhouse in the 19th century, before being saved by the Paris City Hall in 1898 and classified as historical monuments in 1907.

In the 20th century, the ensemble was renovated to accommodate the Student House (thirties), then the Russian library Tourguenev, stowed during the occupation. After 2018, a major restoration allowed its opening in 2020 under the name of Philanthro-lab, a space dedicated to social entrepreneurship. Despite historical confusions with the Hotel de Colbert, the site remains a major testimony of Parisian medical history, from its medieval origins to its contemporary reinventions.

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