Ancien Hôtel-Dieu
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien Hôtel-Dieu, located in Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Sarlat-la-Canéda, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8898, 1.2161
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082935
Built in 1632 by a prominent archdeacon from Sarlat, this former hôtel-Dieu conceals behind its pilastered doorway an interior courtyard adorned with a corbelled bartisan and a shell-headed niche of singular elegance.
History
In the heart of Sarlat-la-Canéda, a town with one of the finest medieval and Renaissance heritages in France, the former Hôtel-Dieu is deceptively discreet. Its apparently sober and austere eastern façade conceals an architectural ensemble of astonishing richness, the fruit of a pivotal period when Christian charity was expressed as much in stone as in the care lavished on the sick and destitute. The first striking feature of the building is its entrance portal, framed by two pilasters with rectangular corbelled capitals - a classically elegant detail, extremely rare in the Périgord Noir. The lowered arch, inscribed beneath a smooth panel that seemed to have been designed to hold a founding inscription or a vanished coat of arms, bears witness to the care taken to represent and enhance the prestige of the institution. Crossing the threshold, visitors discover a rectangular courtyard enclosed by a beautiful wrought-iron gate, a veritable sanctuary of silence in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. One corner of this courtyard is enlivened by a four-sided corbelled watchtower - a defensive and decorative element inherited from the medieval repertoire - while a statue niche topped with a shell canopy adds a touch of spirituality and Baroque grace to the whole. The entirely vaulted ground floor, divided into compartments by powerful low arches, evokes the functional organisation of the great hospitals of the Ancien Régime: rooms dedicated to care, to receiving the poor and to religious services, which can be seen behind the robustness of the masonry. The building rises two storeys above the ground floor, forming an isolated island in the heart of the urban fabric since the streets were opened up in the 19th century. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1977, Sarlat's former Hôtel-Dieu is a precious example of 17th-century charitable and institutional architecture in Périgord, and is well worth a visit on a stroll through the medieval town, alongside the more famous gems such as Saint-Sacerdos Cathedral and the Lanterne des Morts.
Architecture
The former Hôtel-Dieu in Sarlat is a sober, measured example of provincial classicism from the early 17th century, borrowing from the vocabulary of the late Renaissance its references to Antiquity while retaining a typically Périgord constructional robustness. The building is organised around a rectangular inner courtyard, a layout inherited from medieval hospital architecture and now well established, allowing the care and living areas to be distributed around an airy central space. The eastern facade, the main ceremonial facade, concentrates most of the architectural decoration. Its portal, the centrepiece of the complex, is framed by two pilasters whose capitals - formed by two rectangular corbelled pads - are a personal and inventive interpretation of the classical orders. The low arch of the doorway is set beneath a smooth first panel, probably intended for a missing inscription or sculpted decoration, which is itself topped by a second panel decorated with triglyphs - a Doric motif - supporting a cornice with a strong overhang. This succession of horizontal registers gives the portal a controlled monumentality. The inner courtyard is enclosed by a wrought iron gate and features a four-sided corbelled watchtower at one of its corners, an eloquent borrowing from medieval military vocabulary recycled for decorative purposes. A niche with a statue under a shell canopy - a baroque and devout element - adds a note of sculpted spirituality. The ground floor, entirely vaulted and structured by powerful low arches, reveals the solid construction of the whole, probably built in yellow Périgord limestone, the golden stone characteristic of Sarlat.
Related Figures
Jean de Bars — grand archidiacre du chapitre cathédral de Sarlat, fondateur de l'Hôtel-Dieu en 1632Les chanoines du chapitre de Sarlat — commanditaires et gestionnaires de l'institution au XVIIe siècleLes religieuses hospitalisères — congrégation assurant la gestion quotidienne des soins jusqu'à la RévolutionBertrand de Goth (Clément V) — pape natif du Périgord, dont l'influence sur l'Église locale au début du XIVe siècle avait favorisé le développement des institutions caritatives sarladaises
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien Hôtel-Dieu located?
Ancien Hôtel-Dieu is located in Sarlat-la-Canéda, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Ancien Hôtel-Dieu built?
Ancien Hôtel-Dieu dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien Hôtel-Dieu open to visitors?
Ancien Hôtel-Dieu is currently closed to visitors.
