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Origin and history

The Chamber of Charity of Courtonne-la-Meurdrac is a building dated from the second half of the 16th century, located in the cemetery of the commune, near the church Saint-Ouen. This monument, classified as a historical monument in 1971, is considered a "unique locale en Pays d'Auge". Built in tuffeau and limestone, it served as a meeting and storage place for the Charitons, members of a Catholic brotherhood dedicated to accompaniment of the dying and burial of the deceased, including the pestiferous.

The Charitons were laity organized in brotherhood, under the patronage of Saint Ouen, but honoring also Saint Maur, the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Their mission included funerals for the poor and the elderly, as well as night rituals with torches and tints (specific blisters) during epidemics. The brotherhood of Courtonne-la-Meurdrac, cited in 1505, is one of the oldest in the country of Auge. His archives and accessories (bands, sticks, costumes) were kept in this room, some of which are now exhibited at the Normandy Museum in Caen.

The building retained its old furniture, although a historic safe was transferred to the museum. The facades and roof, protected since 1971, illustrate the local architecture in coyaux. The Charitons tradition persists in Normandy, with an annual banquet on the second Sunday of September, financing the restoration of accessories. This monument thus bears witness to a medieval charitable practice still alive, classified among the "most traditional aspects of Normandy".

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