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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The convent of the Recollets of Melun, founded in 1606 on the initiative of the local noble Charles de Rostaing and approved by Henry IV, saw its first stone laid in 1616 by Louis XIII. This Franciscan monastery, dedicated to a begging order, gradually extended with major enlargements: construction of an aqueduct (1681), a dormitory (1682), and laying of the first stone of the cloister in 1701. The works, led by Brother Anselme Bardon, also included modifications to the church in 1702, before a fire in 1760 partially destroyed the site, requiring a reconstruction of the chapel between 1761 and 1763.

At the Revolution, the convent was confiscated and transformed into a hospital in 1793, replacing the former hotels-Dieu of Melun. The chapel, divided by a floor, welcomed the male patients, while the Sisters of Charity settled there in 1798 to stay there until 1905. The site expanded in the 19th century with a second court (1829), a male ward (1862), and a maternity ward (1893-1897), before the addition of a sanatorium in 1932. The convent buildings, partially disused, preserve their eighteenth century chapel, still dedicated to worship.

Ranked historic monument in 1994 for its facades, roofs, cloister (partly demolished in 1958), chapel and staircases with balusters, the site illustrates the evolution of a religious place towards a hospital function. The modern extensions (post-1950) have relegated the remains of the convent to a heritage role, while the chapel, restored in 1862-1863 with elements from a neighbouring monastery, bears witness to the successive redevelopments. Today, the Recollet convent, although disused, remains a symbol of Melun's religious and medical history.

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