On November 14, 1888, 137 years ago, the Institut Pasteur opened to the public. This anniversary is an opportunity to look back at how the Institut Pasteur was founded and present the partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine to support the restoration of Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment.

Inauguration of the Institut Pasteur

The Institut Pasteur was officially opened by French President Sadi Carnot. As the presidential carriage drew up to the new building, the Republican Guard gave a rendition of the Marseillaise. Louis Pasteur, aged 65, wearing the prestigious Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honor, walked down the steps to greet the President. The ceremony was held in the Institut Pasteur library – now the Salle des Actes –, which had been turned into a reception room for the occasion. The room was filled with around 600 guests, exclusively men, ranging from politicians and ministers to fellow scientists, friends and colleagues. Some of Louis Pasteur's colleagues, including Émile Roux and Alexandre Yersin, were forced to watch the proceedings from the adjoining gallery.
 
 

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An institute built with public donations

The building, which some referred to as the "Rabies Palace," was a vast Louis XIII-style brick and stone edifice. The pediment bore the elegant inscription: "Souscription publique 1888" (Public appeal – 1888). Architects Eugène Petit and Félicien Brébant coordinated the construction of the building. In front of the building stood a bronze statue of the shepherd boy Jean-Baptiste Jupille, one of the first people to be vaccinated for rabies. The public appeal meant that the funds raised could be centralized at the Crédit Foncier de France, a major French bank. Louis Pasteur emphasized the remarkable generosity of the French people: "On that day, France opened its hands to us." Some of the donations were from prominent figures such as Marguerite Boucicaut, Cécile-Charlotte Furtado-Heine, Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, and Count de Laubespin. Three foreign monarchs also contributed: the Sultan of Turkey, the Emperor of Brazil, Pedro II (himself a scientist), and Emperor Alexander III of Russia. 

At the inauguration, Louis Pasteur, visibly overcome with emotion, asked his son Jean-Baptiste Pasteur (1859-1908) to read his speech. He read these words, which have become famous: “And here we see it finished, this grand building of which it may be truly said that there is not a single stone that is not the material sign of a generous thought. All the virtues have paid tribute towards the erection of this abode of toil.”

In his address, Louis Pasteur urged his colleagues to show "extreme rigor" and adopt "critical thinking." He asked them not to announc
 

Preserving architectural heritage

This scientific legacy is now also conserved in the Institut Pasteur's architectural heritage, including Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment, in the historical building. Louis and Marie Pasteur spent their final years in this apartment, from February 1889 onwards. The rooms, conserved in their original state, offer a glimpse of the global reputation of the scientist, who had become the "benefactor of humanity" with his rabies vaccine in 1885, and also the daily life of a bourgeois household in the late 19th century. The apartment includes the "scientific souvenir room," created in 1938 to display Louis Pasteur's scientific instruments and laboratory glassware. Louis Pasteur, who died in 1895, was buried with his wife in the neo-Byzantine-style crypt in the same historical building where he had spent his last years. The former apartment, now the Pasteur Museum, was recognized under the "Maisons des Illustres" scheme in 2012.

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The Fondation du Patrimoine, a private French organization with recognized charitable status that aims to safeguard and promote the country's heritage, is supporting the Institut Pasteur. To help raise the funds needed to restore Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment, the Fondation du Patrimoine has launched an online appeal. The total cost of the work to restore the apartment and Pasteur Museum is estimated at €2,600,000.
 
The online appeal will go towards funding several parts of the work:

• Stage 1: €100,000 to restore the artworks and furniture in the apartment;
   
• Stage 2: €100,000 to restore all the textiles (curtains, ornamental trimmings, rugs, cushions, etc.) that decorate all the rooms in the apartment;
   
• Stage 3: €100,000 to restore the original wallpaper dating from 1888.
   

The aim is to fully open this major heritage site to the public in November 2028, coinciding with the Institut Pasteur's 140th anniversary. The online appeal will help fund the restoration of the apartment which offers a glimpse into the daily life of Louis and Marie Pasteur.
 
Access the online appeal
 
Download the donation form

Illustration: Founded by decree on 4 June 1887, the Institut Pasteur was inaugurated on 14 November 1888 thanks to the success of an international fundraising campaign. Drawing by Louis Tinayre.