Closed for nearly twenty years, this Parisian chapel that has been desacralized is turning into a home.

Situated in the heart of Paris, this chapel has undergone major renovations. It is now open to the public after around twenty years of work: this summer, free activities await you there!

For nearly twenty years, its doors have remained closed. Hidden at the far end of the Alban-Satragne Garden, just a stone’s throw from the Gare de l’Est, the Saint-Lazare Chapel is now being given a new lease on life. Deconsecrated since the 1960s, this 19th‑century building, long forgotten by the public, is set to become a true hub for culture, community life, and the residents of the neighborhood. A new chapter opens for one of the last witnesses to the history of the former Saint-Lazare enclosure.

The story of the chapel is inseparable from the history of the Saint-Lazare enclosure Saint-Lazare. Over the centuries, this vast estate has lived multiple lives: a leper colony in the Middle Ages, then the house of the Mission Congregation founded by Saint Vincent de Paul in the 17th century, and finally a women’s prison from the 19th century onward. It is in this context that the chapel was built in 1834 by architect Louis-Pierre Baltard, a specialist in penitentiary architecture and the father of Victor Baltard, who would later design Paris’s Halles.

Located in the heart of the prison-hospital, it has for decades accompanied the daily routines of the inmates. Its sober architecture reflects its original function. In 1931, the building was redesigned by architect Gaston Lefol, who gave it, among other features, its brick façade, still recognizable today. Deconsecrated in the 1960s, the chapel was inscribed as s Monuments historiques en 2005.

After years of closure, the City of Paris has launched a major restoration campaign. A laureate of the 2016 Participatory Budget, the project is led by several local associations with a clear ambition: to transform this former place of confinement into a space open to all. Culture, gathering, local democracy, youth, equality, and citizen initiatives must gradually find their place there.

As work presses on toward completion, an initial summer opening already lets residents reclaim this little-known heritage. Concerts, exhibitions, talks, or workshops are now filling the nave with a lineup of free activities to discover right here!