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Origin and history

The Soufflot Hotel was founded in 1621 by Saint Vincent de Paul during his visit to the city. Struggled by local poverty, he created one of France's first "Charities" to treat indigent and mentally deficient. Originally set up in unsanitary houses near the Saône, the settlement quickly became insufficient: in 1721 it housed 143 residents in buildings threatening to ruin. Persistent healthlessness led to its reconstruction from 1752.

The new hospice, designed by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot (also author of the Hôtel-Dieu de Mâcon), was built between 1752 and 1761 under the direction of Michel Minoya. Organised around an elevated square courtyard to avoid the floods of the Saône, it consisted of four wings: one for men, one for women, an elliptical chapel with dome, and collective spaces such as a crèche and a bath establishment. The façade on Carnot Street, inspired by Roman architecture, masked the constraints of a small block. The chapel, accessible to the sick via stands, was listed in the Inventory in 1982.

Among the remarkable elements, the abandonment tower – one of the few still visible in France – allowed mothers to anonymously drop their newborns by pulling a bell. This system, criticized for encouraging abandonment, was banned in 1904. The chapel, with its wrought iron balustrades and its ovoid plan, illustrates Soufflot's innovation, mixing Gothic structures and theatrical atmosphere. Until the beginning of the 21st century, the hospital functioned as a residence for the elderly, before being disused.

Ranked as a historic monument in 2013 after a safeguard campaign, the building was bought by the municipality in 2011 for a symbolic euro. A complete rehabilitation, led by the François 1st Group, transformed it into apartments (the Historical Monuments Act) between 2011 and 2021. The original decorations (woodworks, apothecary) were preserved and transferred to the Hôtel-Dieu de Mâcon. Today saved, the hospice bears witness to the 18th century hospital architecture and the charitable heritage of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The site's history also reveals tragic anecdotes, such as the death of Françoise-Alix de Lamartine, the poet's mother, scathed in the baths of the Hospice in 1829. The municipal archives (GG 342) detail the work after 1761, including the reconstruction of the Saône side façade in 1781 after the demolition of the ramparts. Despite plans for barracks in the 19th century, the hospital continued its medical vocation until its closure in the early 2000s.

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