Hotel-Dieu Foundation 1643 (≈ 1643)
Created by Martha de la Beausse and Anne de Melun
1675
Apothecary equipment
Apothecary equipment 1675 (≈ 1675)
Held by the apothecary sisters
années 1940
End of apothecary activity
End of apothecary activity années 1940 (≈ 1940)
Last years of exploitation by sisters
1988
Departure of nuns
Departure of nuns 1988 (≈ 1988)
End of three centuries of presence
1990
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 1990 (≈ 1990)
Protection of buildings and gardens
1993
Partial classification
Partial classification 1993 (≈ 1993)
Protected facades, roofs and chapel
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Marthe de la Beausse - Co-founder
Initiator of the Hôtel-Dieu in 1643
Anne de Melun - Co-founder and financial
Princess of Flanders, patron of the project
Origin and history
The Hôtel-Dieu de Baugé is a former hospital establishment founded in 1643 in the village of Baugé, now integrated into the commune of Baugé-en-Anjou (Maine-et-Loire). Its creation resulted from the joint initiative of two influential women of the time: Martha de la Beausse and Anne de Melun, Princess of Flanders. This monument, still standing, bears witness to the organization of Christian care and charity under the Old Regime, with preserved architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries, partially redesigned in the 19th century.
The Apothecary, which was equipped in 1675, was managed for three centuries by the apothecary sisters of the Hospitallers of Saint Joseph community. This place, which was in operation until the 1940s, housed pharmaceutical preparations and care for the sick. The sisters occupied the premises until 1988, marking a continuation of nearly 350 years of religious and medical presence. Today, the building protects a permanent exhibition evoking the life of its founder, Anne de Melun, and the role of nuns in the management of the hospital.
The Hôtel-Dieu in Baugé was listed as one of the most beautiful examples of classical hospital architecture in France between 1990 and 1993. The protections concern the 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, as well as the chapel, fence walls and old gardens. The site, owned by the commune, also preserves traces of the former Priory Saint-Michel, linked to its history.
The precise location of the Hôtel-Dieu is located at the intersection of Anne-de-Melun Street and the Rue du Docteur-Zamenhof, in an urban setting marked by its medieval and modern past. Its state of conservation and heritage value make it an emblematic place of the Angelvin heritage, open to the visit to discover its exceptional history and apothecary.
