Couvent des Récollets de Paris

The Couvent des Récollets is marked by a deep, stone-lined courtyard that opens directly off the street, separating the quiet interior from the bustle of the tenth arrondissement. Founded in sixteen hundred and three by Franciscan monks with the support of King Henri the Fourth and Marie de Medici, this former monastery has lived many lives over four centuries. After the monks were expelled during the French Revolution, the site became a spinning workshop, a military barracks, and eventually the Villemin military hospital.