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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The psychiatric hospital of Alençon, classified as a historical monument, was founded in 1774 by Baron Antoine Jullien, intendant of the generality of Alençon. Designed to accommodate indigent sick, prisoners and marginalized people, it was designed by architect Delorme. The work was completed in 1782 and its management was initially entrusted to the Daughters of Charity, before the Revolution chased them and turned the site into a prison.

In 1831, the institution became the departmental hospital of the alienated, while serving as a nurse for civilian and military prisons and as a begging depot. A boarding school was attached. Its neo-classical architecture is distinguished by two courtyards separated by a house body, an honorary courtyard framed with doric columns, and a rotunda chapel surmounted by a dome. The facades and roofs of the 18th century, as well as the chapel, were inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 1974.

The site reflects the evolution of hospital and prison usage, moving from a multi-purpose hospital to a psychiatric hospital. Its symmetrical plan, its French-style gardens and its decorative elements (triangular borders, a neo-classical entablishment) testify to the architectural cannons of the time. Today, there remains a notable example of Norman health and social heritage, owned by the Orne department.

Located northwest of downtown Alençon, near the town hall, the hospital occupies a strategic location between Antoine-Jullien and Réverende-Mère-Anne-Marie-Javouhey streets. Its inscription under the title of Historic Monuments specifically covers the 18th century buildings and the chapel, highlighting their exceptional heritage value.

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