Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Bain des Capucins, also known as the Petit Bain ou Bain des Pauvres, was initially reserved for the sick of the skin, lepers and indigents, excluded from the Grand Bain. Although Roman origin and medieval reconstruction (late 11th century) were mentioned, no tangible evidence confirms these assumptions. The current building, of classic style, was rebuilt in 1767, marking the beginning of a series of thermal installations in Plombières-les-Bains.

In 1800, a cutting stone oven was added, dividing the basin to operate water at different temperatures. The site preserves a square plan typical of thermal architecture before the 19th century, with a pavilion roof and a vaulted six-ribed interior. The ring key of the vault, pierced to evacuate the vapours, and the ground adorned with a polychrome mosaic (1933, Gentil and Bourdet) testify to the technical and aesthetic developments of the place.

In 1932, architect Robert Danis led a major restructuring, uniting the Bain des Capucins with the nearby Temperate Bath. The façade was then enriched by a reproduction in plexiglas of Castalia or Source of Poetry (1883), sculpture by Eugene Guillaume today preserved at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon. Since 2001, the facades, roofs, vaulted hall and underground swimming pool have been protected as historical monuments.

Built in multicoloured Vosges sandstone, the building illustrates the adaptation of the thermal baths to social and medical needs, from the Lights to the modern era. Its history also reflects unequal access to health care, with the Bain des Capucins embodying an architectural and humanitarian response to the exclusion of the most vulnerable.

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