Prochain point :
Couvent des ursulines - Ancienne mairie
Prochain point : lat="49.1556" lon="1.78473"
Old Hôtel-Dieu
A general hospital dedicated to helping people in need
A difficult beginning...
A leper hospital was set up by royal foundation on Place de la Butte in the Middle Ages. Pierre Le Gendre, seigneur of Magny-en-Vexin, bought the building that was to become the Hôtel-Dieu in 1510, and work was carried out thanks to donations made by the prior. However, the hospital began to suffer at the hands of the destitute, transient population who were fed and housed overnight, causing problems with the neighbours. In 1665 the archbishop of Rouen noted that the establishment had become too dilapidated and, at the request of the aldermen and residents, he decided to close the Hôtel-Dieu.
... but a lasting mission
The property adjacent to the old hospital was purchased thanks to donations made by the parish priest and other public figures. The building we see today was erected in 1666: made of cut stone, it is U-shaped and built around a small courtyard enclosed by railings. The aim of the establishment was to ‘house, heal and feed the poor of the town and surrounding hamlets.’ The two-storey central building is flanked by two wings at right angles and a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Although the windows have been modified, it is still possible to make out the position and size of the originals. It was planned to enlarge the buildings in 1729 because the Hôtel-Dieu had become too cramped. In 1745, when the Sainte Anne priory (Rue Carnot) was dissolved, the Hôtel-Dieu was transferred there.
The building housed the handmade chair factory owned by the Dallongeville family at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was subsequently converted into a private home that retains a certain cachet.
