Hotel Dieu-Hospices of Beaune

I have been delinquent since I haven't posted much for quite a while. I feel compelled to try and catch up a little bit.  That means I have to go back in time a bit over six weeks.

After arriving in Dijon without incident, I was so excited to spot my hosts Francois and Baptiste on the platform waiting for my train to arrive.  Francois was very keen that I should have a genuine French, better yet...Burgundian, experience, so we hopped in the car and headed off right away rather than lingering in Dijon.  As we left the train station at Dijon, we traveled down the Route des Grands Crus, the great wine highway. Unfortunately, my train arrived around 4, which did not leave much time before the dusk descended, so Francois had just enough time to point out vineyards, "caves" and chateaus along the side of the road.  Some day, perhaps, I'll make more of a visit to these "holy" sites.  If I do, I want the lovely Emily Turner to be my guide. More on that later.


The title of this post, however, refers to a glorious site in the lovely town of Beaune.  We walked the city streets, and I was shocked to see how bustlingly busy it was after 5 p.m.  I am used to the "roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. model" of Worcester, so it was a bit of a shock to see it.  The shops were open and doing a brisk business; people were milling about the streets and in the stores.  Our real target, however, was a gorgeous building.  The Hotel-Dieu is absolutely lovely in any light, but the early dark gave it a hauntingly beautiful quality.

The courtyard of Hotel-Dieu.  Photo by Baptiste Arnoux.

The first thing one notices is the roof.  The facility has been renovated repeatedly over six centuries with special attention to the roof. Beautifully constructed, the roof of the hospital features tiles of yellow, red, back and green in a diamond shaped pattern.


Beyond the roof, however, the entire facility evokes a sense of loving care and attention to quality.  The pamphlet we received at the entry point describes this as a "palace of the poor" established by Nicholas Rolin, chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, in 1443.  The goal was to provide hospital care for the sick and poor.  The real mover behind the establishment of the hospital was Rolin's wife, Guigone de Salins. A pious woman, Guigone, pushed her husband to reflect on the state of  his soul.  The hospital was his effort to redeem himself in the eyes of God.

Photo by Baptiste Arnoux.

After a visit by Louis the XIV, the wards were segregated by sex, but these curtained bed units would have provided extensive privacy.  Each patient had a chair, a nightstand and a tin plate (considered a luxury).  Hot water bottles were available for warmth at night.

Photo by Baptiste Arnoux.

The halls were spacious and well appointed, but Nicolas Rolin stipulated that there could be no more than 30 beds in the hall, 15 on each side.  This is the Grand Hall of the Poor where the women received care.  The background book described the ceiling as a barrel vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and "a backdrop painted in 1878 after a medieval pattern. The attention to detail lent a sense of luxury to the facility.

Photo by Baptiste Arnoux.

The beauty of the place leads one to believe that those who came to this hospital must have received terrific care.

The book I bought on the Hospices of Beaune reported that health care services ceased at the Hotel-Dieu in 1971, although the elderly lived at the facility until 1984.  The museum welcomed visitors in 1988.

This place is definitely worth visiting and I would love to pay another visit sometime in the future.  We stayed as long as we could, but the museum was closing.  Frankly, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to visit at all, given that it was Friday evening.

It was a great beginning to a wonderful weekend.