An age-old history

AP-HP was born in the middle of the 19^th century, but its roots go back to the Middle Ages: the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris was built in the 12^th century, at the foot of Notre-Dame Cathedral; the Grand bureau des pauvres was created in 1544 by King Francis I, to cope with vagrancy and take care of the ifirm; the Hôpital général was founded by King Louis XIV in 1656; it took in children, the elderly, the blind, the handicapped, the insane, beggars…

At the time of the Revolution, a law of 1796 placed all hospitals under the responsibility of municipalities. In 1801, the Consulate instituted a “General Board of Directors of the Hospices de Paris”, the ancestor of AP-HP. The Act of 10 January 1849 created the “General Administration of Public Assistance in Paris” and marked the beginning of the modern history of AP-HP. For a century, AP-HP has been developing its medical activities while maintaining its mission of assisting the destitute, the elderly, the incurables and abandoned children. AP-HP underwent a major transformation beginning in the 1960s as medical and child welfare were transferred to communities.