Shadow Dragon

Sanatorium P

October 2026 | France | Extant

An abandoned sanatorium hidden in a forest in Brittany…

***

HISTORY: The sanatorium was started in the midst of the First World War to treat tuberculosis. Work started on an array of pavilion type buildings in 1916. These comprise of large windowed treatment corridor rooms, service buildings and a chapel. This was started by the council of the department to treat the various bouts of tuberculosis that were striking the area.

At first it had 290 beds but as time went on, this number increased bit by bit. In the 1990s, new buildings were built (a local hospital and a care home) and the sanatorium buildings closed down and have lain derelict since. The buildings have become increasingly overgrown and derelict since, and only two buildings are worth photographing.

***

THE EXPLORE: This was my first explore in France of 2026! And it was quite a nice one to start off with. The only caveat was that, whilst climbing over the fence, my jeans decided to catch… and as I am not the lightest I could not arrest my descent and therefore my entire right trouser leg got torn wide open. As such, my trouser leg was more like a flag flapping in the wind! I shan’t be publishing a photo, to preserve what is left of my dignity!

Despite that little mishap, I continued on. I started in the chapel which shows some clear early Art Deco flourishes. I ventured through the buildings, finding them to be very much beyond worth photographing except for one or two. Enjoy the photos!

***