La Santé

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The La Santé prison in Paris from the south

Coordinates: 48 ° 50 ′ 2 "  N , 2 ° 20 ′ 23"  E

La Santé is one of the most famous prisons in France . It has maison d'arrêt status and as such is intended for - exclusively male - prisoners on remand and convicted offenders with sentences of less than two years. It is located in the 14th arrondissement of the capital Paris . It is named after the street on which the main gate is located, the Rue de la Santé . From 2014 to 2019 the prison was closed for extensive renovations.

North facade of La Santé prison , photographed from Boulevard Arago .

history

The prison was built from 1861 to 1867 under the direction of the architect Émile Vaudremer . It was built in the shape of a trapezoid and is bordered by the following streets:

  • to the north by the Boulevard Arago ,
  • to the east through the rue de la Santé ,
  • to the south by Rue Jean-Dolent and
  • to the west by the rue Messier .

In the early 20th century, following the demolition of the former prison de la Grande Roquette , it is the last prison inside the walls of Paris, the newcomers at the time were sentenced to death . As a result, it was soon decided that the public executions would be carried out on Boulevard Arago, next to the prison. On August 5, 1909, the parricide Henri Duchemin was the first person to be guillotined right next to the prison . When public executions were banned in 1939, the guillotine moved into the courtyard of the prison, where the Vocoret brothers were the first to be executed on March 15, 1940.

During the Second World War both simple criminals and opponents of the German occupation forces were imprisoned in the prison. The prisoners revolted on July 14, 1944, the Republican national holiday and anniversary of the storm on the Bastille and shortly before the Allied troops reached Paris. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the Milice française , killing numerous prisoners.

In 1970 a high-security wing was set up in the Santé. The prison served as a place of execution until shortly before the death penalty was abolished in France in 1981 . The last beheadings took place on November 28, 1972, affecting the murderers Roger Bontems and Claude Buffet.

In 2000, the prison's chief doctor, Véronique Vasseur, published a book denouncing the very poor conditions of detention - dirt, illness, etc. The book shocked the public and led to a parliamentary investigation.

In 2014 the prison was closed for major renovations. Most of the prisoners were distributed to the two other Maisons d'arrêt of the greater Paris area in Fleury-Mérogis and Fresnes . After the completion of the construction work, the prison should offer 800 places. As part of the renovation work, which was completed in 2019, part of the prison (Quartier haut) was demolished and rebuilt, the VIP area was closed , outdoor areas were greened, systems to disrupt mobile networks were installed and sports facilities were created.

Famous prisoners

In art

  • The fictional character Arsène Lupine was imprisoned in La Santé .
  • The film The Hole depicts a prison break.
  • Guillaume Apollinaire processes his stay in prison in the cycle of poems À la Santé (in the Alcools collection of poems , 1913)

La bonne Santé

Across from the prison entrance was a café called À la bonne Santé . The relatives and former prisoners met there. This scene has been used in several films. The café closed in 1980. The row of houses with the cafe was torn down.

literature

  • Véronique Vasseur: Médecin chef à la prison de la Santé . Éditions de la Seine, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-7382-1400-2 .

Web links

Commons : La Santé  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b La Santé. Ministry of Justice (France) , December 15, 2006, accessed January 20, 2016 (French).
  2. ^ A b Simon Piel: La mythique prison de la Santé vidée de ses détenus avant une large rénovation. In: Le Monde . August 4, 2014, accessed January 20, 2016 (French).
  3. ↑ a b Inauguration de la prison de la Santé après 4 ans de rénovation. Retrieved October 20, 2019 (fr-fr).
  4. ↑ 10 sqm, 4 beds, 1 toilet Die Zeit , February 17, 2000.
  5. ^ Rixe mortelle à Paris: la détention provisoire du rappeur MHD prolongée de six mois. In: lci.fr . January 27, 2020, accessed on March 2, 2020 (French).
  6. ↑ Jacques Berthomeau: À La Bonne Santé: chronique d'un café-relais face au porche de la prison disparu près de chez moi. In: Le blog de JACQUES BERTHOMEAU, berthomeau.com. March 30, 2015, accessed April 24, 2017 (French).