Built from 1876, the Saint-Joseph pavilion of the Franciscan convent of Deauville was originally intended to accommodate the daughters of sailors who died at sea. The establishment was placed under the authority of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, physically installed in Deauville in 1878. In 1881, the foundation of the community of Franciscans of Notre-Dame de la Pitié in Deauville was authorized by Monsignor Hugonin, the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux. The Civil Society of the Saint-Joseph Orphanage, created in 1899, made it possible to protect the community of Franciscan sisters and helped it develop its health and social vocation. During the First World War, the orphanage was converted into a military hospital before returning to its function as an orphanage for war orphans and continuing as a dispensary. After the Second World War, the site began to accommodate schools of different levels (primary, home economics, vocational), paving the way for its recent cultural and educational vocation as a media library-museum.