Maison des Filles de la charité, Convent in the 7th arrondissement, Paris, France

The Maison des Filles de la charité at 136-140 rue du Bac is the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, a convent complex that includes the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Its long pale stone facade rises three storeys to a sloping roof pierced by dormer windows; a deep central archway frames a dark double door with a circular window above, a statue stands in a niche over the arch, and tall shuttered windows are evenly spaced across the upper floors.

The Daughters of Charity were founded in 1633 by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, and this site on Rue du Bac became their motherhouse. The buildings were classified as monuments historiques on 25 June 1963, with further inscriptions on 25 June 1963 and 23 December 1976. The chapel here is where Catherine Labouré reported visions of the Virgin in 1830, the origin of the Miraculous Medal.

The chapel is called Notre-Dame-de-la-Médaille-miraculeuse after the apparitions of the Virgin that Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity, reported here in 1830. The medal struck after them, known as the miraculous medal, is still distributed to pilgrims at 140 rue du Bac.

The building continues to serve as headquarters for the Daughters of Charity and remains open to visitors interested in its religious and historical significance. It is wise to check in advance which areas are available for viewing.

The convent is not an 18th-century townhouse: it is the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, founded in 1633 by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Its chapel, Notre-Dame-de-la-Médaille-miraculeuse, is where Catherine Labouré reported visions of the Virgin in 1830, the origin of the Miraculous Medal. The whole complex has been classified as a monument historique since 25 June 1963.