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Origin and history

The Hospice of Effiat, located in the village of the same name, was founded in the middle of the seventeenth century in accordance with the last wishes of Marshal d'Effiat. This monument consists of three two-storey building bodies, organized in return for square, and is distinguished by its high four-paned roofs as well as by long-lasting windows to the floor. A domed campanile, typical of the religious architecture of the time, crowns the main building oriented north-south. The site also retains a dovecote and an armoured entrance gate, dated 1643, which attest to its origin and social status.

The architecture of the Hospice reflects functional simplicity, characteristic of the 17th century charitable establishments in Auvergne. The facades and roofs of the main buildings, as well as those of the dovecote and the gate, were protected by a registration order under the Historic Monuments in 1975. The gate, decorated with weapons and bearing the date of 1643, recalls the aristocratic patronage at the origin of its foundation. Today, the hospice remains a testimony of the social and architectural history of the region, although its current use (visits, rental, accommodation) is not specified in the available sources.

The Marshal of Effiat, whose will led to the creation of the Hospice, illustrates the involvement of local elites in charitable works in the 17th century. These institutions played a key role in assisting vulnerable populations, while affirming the prestige of their founders. In its structure and its preserved elements, the Hospice offers a representative example of these institutions, where public utility and symbols of power combine. The accuracy of its location, assessed as "a priori satisfactory", allows it to be located at 45 Rue Antoine Coiffier, in the Puy-de-Dôme.

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