"At the source of psychiatry, the Maison de Charenton": the story of a hospice and its "insane"

The Val-de-Marne departmental archives are dedicating an exhibition to one of the most famous hospitals in its region, the Maison de Charenton, with the presentation of more than 200 documents, photos and medical instruments.

Its history begins with Sébastien Leblanc, advisor to Louis XIII and war controller, who bequeathed his property in Charenton to the Brothers of Charity, a hospital order tasked by the Archbishop of Paris with caring for the poor. They opened five beds in 1641. The hospice then welcomed another type of patient: the "insane." These were boarders for whom room, board, and care were paid, which allowed for new resources. Later, prisoners were added, called "corrections," notably by royal decree (lettres de cachet), for whom the king often paid the pension. The site had 90 beds in 1790, 450 in 1850, and 576 in 1913.

Daily life in the institution is known to us mainly through the testimonies of patients. We learn in particular that there were several confinement regimes, depending on the resources and attitudes of the patients. Some were chained, sometimes in cages, in groups, others were in dormitories. The wealthiest enjoyed a comfortable cell. Sade, the most famous of them , even had a servant in his service.

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