Médiathèque Françoise-Sagan, Public library and historical monument in the 10th arrondissement, Paris
The Médiathèque Françoise-Sagan is a public library and a listed historical monument in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, housed in a renovated building on Rue Léon Schwartzenberg. It spans several floors with dedicated sections for children, adults, music, films, and digital workstations, as well as a garden area.
The site where the library now stands housed a leprosy shelter in the Middle Ages and was later used by Vincent de Paul as the seat of the Congregation of the Mission. During the French Revolution it became a prison known as Saint-Lazare, which only closed in 1998 before the conversion project began.
The Médiathèque Françoise-Sagan takes its name from the French novelist Françoise Sagan, best known for her novel "Bonjour Tristesse." Inside, the design draws on garden motifs inspired by Jules Verne's travel stories, giving the space a distinctly literary feel.
The library sits next to Square Alban Satragne, which makes it easy to find on foot. The building is accessible for people with reduced mobility, and separate reading rooms are available for consulting rare or special documents.
The library holds part of the collection of L'Heure Joyeuse, founded in 1924 as the first children's library in France and home to books dating back to the 16th century. This collection was moved out of Paris for protection and returned when the library opened, with some items now digitized and available online.
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