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Origin and history

The former hospital and maladry of Meursault, founded in the 12th century by Hugues II of Burgundy, was a Romanesque establishment intended to isolate lepers and treat the poor. Organised in three parts (gate, chapel, patient room), it reflected the strict rules of confinement of the period, with controlled exits for the sick, indicated by cliquettes or bells to avoid contagion. At its peak, a hundred leproseries existed in the Duchy of Burgundy, testifying to the scale of epidemics.

In 1358 Bishop William II of Thurey gave up the maladry to the Abbey of Sainte-Marguerite in Bouilland, which provided care and work. In 1760, a royal ordinance of Louis XV attached the establishment to the Hospices de Beaune, marking a turning point in its management. In the 19th century, the buildings were converted into an agricultural farm, losing their medical vocation. The chapel and the portery, characteristic of Romanesque architecture, are classified as historical monuments in 1926 and 2003, while archaeological excavations (2012-2014) reveal remains and allow restoration for municipal reuse.

The chapel, with a nave and a vaulted choir, and the large room of the poor, with its limestone lava roof, are now integrated into the project of the Climates of Burgundy, candidate for UNESCO. The site illustrates the evolution of medieval medical and charitable practices, as well as architectural adaptations over the centuries. The archives mention regular visits in the 17th and 18th centuries, describing a "chamber of the poor" and related buildings ( stables, dovecote), partially demolished after 1760.

The monument, owned by the commune, preserves remarkable Romanesque elements, such as the carved capitals of the porch or the patée cross of the door of the sick. Its history with the local abbeys and the Hospices of Beaune makes it a key witness to the Burgundy hospital heritage, between spirituality, medicine and rural life.

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