Couvent des Récollets, Historical convent in 10th arrondissement, Paris, France

The Couvent des Récollets is a renovated monastic building in the 10th arrondissement of Paris near Gare de l'Est. The complex offers furnished studios and shared spaces designed specifically for creative professionals.

Henry IV granted the Récollets permission on 6 January 1604 to settle on land near the church of Saint-Laurent given by tapestry maker Jacques Cottard; Marie de Médicis laid the foundation stone of the friary and larger church on 30 August 1614. Closed in 1790, it became a hospice for incurable men in 1802, then the Saint-Martin military hospital in 1861, renamed after doctor Jean-Antoine Villemin in 1913. It closed as a hospital in 1968 and was listed as a monument historique in 1974.

The complex hosts the House of Architecture and serves as a meeting place for artists and researchers from around the world. Visitors find regular exhibitions and events that keep the creative community active here.

The complex stands on rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin, with the former hospital's monumental entrance gate still visible at no. 8 rue des Récollets. The convent garden was separated from the buildings and is now the jardin Villemin. The site lies between the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est, and the façades, roofs, 18th-century ironwork staircase and chapel are protected as monuments historiques.

The artist squat ran from 1990 to 1992, not 1996; a fire destroyed part of the buildings on 26 January 1992. After five years empty, the association Les Anges des Récollets reoccupied the site in 1997, and in 1999 the State briefly authorised the artists, a rare case of squatters gaining official permission. Some of their wall works are still visible.