Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, founded in the 12th century under the name of Hospital du Pont du Rhône, finds its origins in a house of pilgrims built in 1184 by the Order of the Brothers Pontiffs near the Pont de la Guillotière. Originally run by abbeys (Hautecombe, Chassagne), it was bought by the municipality in 1478 to become a 200-bed hospital, inaugurated in 1493. This medieval establishment, with a chapel and cemetery, disappears after the reconstructions of the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 17th century, the Hôtel-Dieu was entirely redesigned according to a cross plan (the Quatre-Rangs), with a chapel and monumental bell towers. The works, led by architect Guillaume Duclet, began in 1637 under the aegis of Cardinal de Richelieu. A convalescent building is added on the wharfs of the Rhône (1658–1663). The wars of Louis XIV increased poverty, prompting the state to organize lotteries to finance the hospital, which then treated the soldiers of the armies of Italy and Catalonia.

The 18th century marked the architectural climax with the construction of the large dome (1755–1764), designed by Soufflot to aerate the common rooms. The neoclassical facade, adorned with statues of Childebert I and Ultrogothe (founders of the first Lyon hospital in 549), symbolizes this fascist period. The Hôtel-Dieu, known for its low mortality (1/14 versus 1/4 in Paris), became a model. However, the French Revolution ravaged him: bombed in 1793, he lost his income and his staff (11 doctors, 31 guillotine surgeons).

In the 19th century, the hospital expanded to accommodate 1,000 patients, including military personnel, and saw its surgery radiate (e.g. Joseph Gensoul, pioneer of maxillary resections). The Museum of Civil Hospices was established in 1936, preserving works by the Charity Hospital, demolished in 1934. The 20th century was marked by modernisations (radiology as early as 1896 by Étienne Destot), damage during the two world wars (dôme fire in 1944), and a controversial conversion: closed in 2010, it became in 2019 a hotel complex (InterContinental), commercial and cultural (Cité de la gastronomy), despite criticism of its privatization.

The Hôtel-Dieu today embodies an exceptional medical, architectural and social heritage. Ranked a historic monument in 2011, its dome, interior courtyards and neoclassical facades testify to 8 centuries of hospital history. Its transformation into a tourist site (7 million annual visitors planned) nevertheless raises debates about the memory of public care and the preservation of its original soul.

Future

Following the project presented on September 25, 2009, the Hôtel-Dieu will be partially converted into a luxury hotel of 140 rooms whose entrance will be through the central dome. The ground floor will be for commercial activities. Finally, the internal courts will be open to the public.

External links