Couvent des Dames Bénédictines du Saint-Sacrement, convent located in Paris, in France
The Couvent des Dames Bénédictines du Saint-Sacrement is a former monastic building in the 5th arrondissement of Paris built in classical style. The complex originally covered a large property and included residential spaces, teaching areas, and an inner garden, with today only some original structures such as the 1760 house and preserved facades remaining visible.
Founded in 1687 to educate young women in difficult circumstances, the convent grew under Benedictine nuns, particularly after 1707. During the French Revolution it was secularized and its structures repurposed, later recovered by returning Benedictines, and finally converted to apartments in the twentieth century.
The name refers to the Benedictine nuns who lived here and devoted themselves to the Holy Sacrament. The site maintained its quiet, secluded character shaped by monastic tradition, visible today in the preserved arcades and garden layout that recall the community's way of life.
The site is now primarily residential and private, so access to the interior courtyard is limited, but the historic facades and preserved gates on Rue Tournefort are visible from the street. The quiet streets in the area are good for walking to explore the classical architecture and garden layout from outside.
Victor Hugo used this convent as a model for his famous novel Les Misérables, imagining scenes of women's lives in Paris set within this community. The literary connection makes the place a subtle anchor point in French literary history.
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