Ancien Hôpital Richaud (Former Richaud Hospital), Versailles

The Former Richaud Hospital began in 1636 as a small house of charity created under King Louis XIV to care for workers building the grand Palace of Versailles. In 1720, King Louis XV raised it to the rank of a royal hospital, and later, under Louis XVI, architect Charles-François Darnaudin redesigned it using plans by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, starting in 1781.

Its construction spanned nearly 80 years, concluding in 1859-a timeline stretching across the the old regime, through the turbulence of the French Revolution, to the mid-19th century. On July 22, 1980, the hospital’s chapel, façades, and roofs were officially recognised as historic monuments.

After decades of service-including expansion phases well into the 20th century-the hospital’s medical functions were relocated to the new Mignot Hospital in 1981, leaving Richaud abandoned and vulnerable to decay through the late 1990s into the 2000s. A series of unfortunate fires in the 2000s further accentuated the need for restoration.

As part of a 2009 redevelopment initiative known as The Square of the Centuries, the site underwent a complete transformation into a complex of residences, shops, offices, a daycare, and landscaped gardens. This ambitious project reached its conclusion in the spring of 2015, when the Richaud Cultural Centre officially reopened.

The former chapel and adjoining spaces welcome a rotating program of heritage exhibitions, contemporary art, concerts, lectures, and performances-especially notable during the annual Molière Month festival every June. The site offers guided and self-guided visits.