Part of a Series on Vincentian Heritage Places

Faubourg Saint-Denis, Paris

Use mouse wheel to zoom

In 1641 the headquarters of the community of the Daughters of Charity was transferred to the Faubourg Saint-Denis, in a house opposite Saint-Lazare*. Here they remained until driven away by the French Revolution.

(*Saint Lazare (107, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, Paris 10) was the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Mission, which gave the name Lazarists to the members. It takes its title from Saint Lazare or Lazarus, its patron. Vincent de Paul lived here from 1632 until his death on 27 September 1660.)

Directly across the street from Saint Lazare, at 94-114, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, was the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity. When purchased, it consisted of two joined houses, each with a ground floor and two upper floors, as well as large grounds, next to Saint Laurent church. The sisters at first rented it from Vincent de Paul but after 1 April 1653 they owned it outright. It was here that the famous incident of the collapsed ceiling took place, 7 June 1642. Louise and the sisters escaped unharmed, a result that symbolized for her God’s providential care of the Company.

Since for years the sisters had no water piped directly into their property, they had to go daily to the public Saint Lazare fountain, built in the thirteenth century, to fetch water in buckets for the house. […] Fortunately, the sisters were able to have water piped in by 1659. Vincent gave many of his conferences to the Daughters here, and meetings of the Ladies of Charity were likewise held in this house. Louise died here, 15 March 1660. (Source: In the Footsteps of Vincent de Paul: A Guide to Vincentian France by John E. Rybolt C.M.)

Testimony from a present-day Daughter of Charity who visited this place several years ago, written in the blog Spirit of the Daughters of Charity:

“The building that was the Motherhouse for the longest period of Louise’s life and where she died has been replaced with an apartment house; but to stand on the sidewalk across the street as our guide pointed out the building, then to turn to see the property directly across the street that was St. Lazare (the Motherhouse of the Vincentian priests, where St. Vincent spent the longest part of his life) was an awesome experience.”

Map of Paris by Turgot (1734), showing Saint-Lazare, the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, and the church of St. Laurent.

Example of Paris water fountains from the 17th Century (time of St. Louise)

Daughter of charity, 1600s

Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis as it looks today, by Minato-ku Own work CC-BY-3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid9566141

All Vincentian Places in this Series

Red = Vincent de Paul, Blue = Frederic Ozanam, Teal = Elizabeth Seton, Yellow = Louise de Marillac

Use mouse wheel to zoom