« L’Hôtel-Dieu » Almshouse

« L’Hôtel-Dieu » Almshouse

The name means “God’s house”. According to the Benedictine Rule nuns were to support the poor and indigent.

Founded in 1241 by Marguerite de Sargines Abbess it started as a general institution catering for the poor and sick, offering food and shelter in addition to medical care. It is originally provided with a chapel, an infirmary, a dormitory and a kitchen. King Louis IX, the future St Louis, supports this work by donating to the hospice a piece of land and a forest, still known as “Ardennes Saint Louis”.

Because of its dilapidation it is totally rebuilt in 1644 and continues to welcome poor people and disabled person of the city until 1924. Today, the main building is the only vestige of the enclosure of the Hôtel-Dieu and currently house The Art School of music, dance and theatre.

Nearby the Hôtel-Dieu stands the fountain attributed to Abbess Claire de La Fayette. Its construction, undertaken between 1539 and 1549, provided the inhabitants with drinking water in quantity at a central point of the city.

Se rendre à l’Hôtel Dieu
Rue Jacques Lambillard
76290 Montivilliers
Voir sur Google Maps

Because of its dilapidation it is totally rebuilt in 1644 and continues to welcome poor people and disabled person of the city until 1924. Today, the main building is the only vestige of the enclosure of the Hôtel-Dieu and currently house The Art School of music, dance and theatre.

Nearby the Hôtel-Dieu stands the fountain attributed to Abbess Claire de La Fayette. Its construction, undertaken between 1539 and 1549, provided the inhabitants with drinking water in quantity at a central point of the city.

Se rendre à l’Hôtel Dieu
Rue Jacques Lambillard
76290 Montivilliers
Voir sur Google Maps