Part of a Series on Vincentian Heritage Places

Saint-Lazare

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The Priory of Saint Lazare

The Priory of St Lazare, (107 Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, Paris, 10th Arrondissement) in the area which now includes the Gare du Nord and the Church of St Vincent de Paul, was the home of Vincent de Paul for the latter part of his life, after the Congregation of the Mission moved there from the College des Bons Enfants in 1632. The property seems to have dated back to the 6th Century. In Vincent’s time it consisted of the Priory and other buildings, farm and orchards, and was under the administration of the Canons of St. Victor until handed over to the Congregation of the Mission in 1632. As well as being a Priory for the Canons, the property had housed a Leprosarium, a Lunatic Asylum, and the Court of Justice for the area.

St. Lazare was sacked on the night of July 13-14, 1789, at the time of the French Revolution (before the Bastille was stormed – apparently the mob practiced on the CMs!) It was later lost to the Congregation of the Mission and eventually demolished, but reminders of its former presence, and the work of Vincent de Paul, still exist.

One reminder is the original St. Lazare Crest, now on the wall of a building of the Hospital St Lazare at the end of the small Square Alban Satragne. The Crest depicts Lazarus being raised from the dead.

Except for a portion of a wall, the actual buildings of St. Lazare have now disappeared.

Façade de la prison Saint-Lazare, rue du faubourg Saint-Denis by Paul Schaan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An original diorama (three-dimensional model) of the Saint-Lazare property, constructed by Jeffrey Wrona, a Chicago USA artist.

Mural of Vincent de Paul

A striking image of Vincent de Paul is located in the area which was once part of St Lazare. It was constructed in 1988 on the end of a five story apartment building which had been built in the early 18th Century by the Vincentians, and consists of ‘ribs’ of black metal of varying sizes fixed at right angles to the wall. The mural is by artist Yvaral, and is situated at the edge of the Square Alban Satragne in the 10th Arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord.

by Jean-Pierre Yvaral

Memorial in Square Alban Satragne

A memorial to Vincent de Paul has been set up in the park in the Square Alban Satragne, on the site of the original Saint-Lazare, in the vicinity of the Gare du Nord.

Source: VincentWiki

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