Hôpital Saint-Louis () is a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. It was built in 1611 by architect Claude Vellefaux at the request of Henry IV of France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 avenue Claude-Vellefaux, in the 10th arrondissement near the metro station

Goncourt The Goncourt brothers (, , ) were Edmond de Goncourt (1822–1896) and Jules de Goncourt (1830–1870), both France, French Naturalism (literature), naturalism writers who, as collaborative sibling authors, were inseparable in life. Background ...

. It was founded by King Henry IV (1553–1610) (King of France and Navarre) on May 17, 1607 to relieve the

Hôtel-Dieu de Paris In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu () was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris being the oldest an ...

during the plague. It was named ''St. Louis'' in memory of

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

, who died of the

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

that devastated

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

in 1270. Today, Hôpital Saint-Louis uses its historical premises (parts of which are classified as historical monuments) for administrative functions. Following the 1980s new modern additions were made to house the current hospital and

teaching hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

. Its primary specialties are

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the Human skin, skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, ...

and

hematology Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to bloo ...

, as well as

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

. The dermatology library was founded by Dr

Henri Feulard Henri Feulard (; 1858–1897) was a French dermatologist. Life Henri Feulard was born in Paris on 20 May 1858. He trained as a physician in the hospitals of Paris, interning at the Hôpital Saint-Louis, which at the time specialized in dermatol ...

. The hospital employs 2,500 people, one thousand of whom are in the medical profession. It houses the

INSERM The (Inserm, ) is the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. History and organisation Inserm was created in 1964 as a successor to the French National Institute of Health. Inserm is the only public research institution ...

Institute of Research on Skin and the René Touraine Foundation. The south-west entrance to the hospital, located at the intersection of rue Bichat and avenue Richerand, is popularly known as the entrance to the police station in the hit French detective television series Navarro.

History

Hôpital Saint-Louis was built at the beginning of the 17th century on the orders of King

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

, who signed an edict founding the hospital on May 17, 1607. It was initially intended to only serve as a temporary hospital during epidemic to quarantine afflicted Parisians who could be contagious. It was also situated just outside the Wall of Charles V beyond Porte du Temple. It was constructed in the proximity of the Gibbet of Montfaucon, as seen by an engraving of the hospital by Claude Chastillon. Construction was fairly quick, and was carried out using plans by Claude Vellfaux or Claude Chastillon, with work starting on the chapel. On Friday, July 13, 1607, the king laid the first stone, and Antoine Le Mercier lead the construction efforts. image:Chapelle St-Louis 051.jpg, Entrance to the hospital on rue Juliette-Dodu File:P1170819 Paris X hôpital Saint-Louis chapelle rwk.jpg, Interior of the chapel

Wax museum

The hospital played an important role in the study of dermatology since the 19th century and holds a wax museum of dermatological diseases.(fr) Musée des moulages dermatologiques de l'hôpital Saint-Louis
website hôpital-Saint-Louis.aphp.fr.

References

External links

Website of the hospital
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopital Saint-Louis Saint-Louis Hospital buildings completed in the 17th century Buildings and structures in the 10th arrondissement of Paris Hospitals established in the 17th century