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Origin and history

The Hospital of Charity of Dole was built between 1698 and 1760 on the Bastion Saint-André, at the initiative of Louis XIV, in a post-war context marked by poverty and the increase of orphans in Franche-Comté. This project was part of a desire to moralize society by eradicating begging, forbidden by the king. The institution welcomed up to 60 poor or orphaned children aged 9 to 20, providing them with religious, moral and vocational education. The boarders, supervised by housekeepers, were trained in a trade before being placed with craftsmen with a set. The extremely strict regulation provided for corporal punishment and confinement in cells in case of rebellion, as evidenced by the rings still visible on the ground floor.

The building, designed as both a charitable and a prison space, was surrounded by walls, grids and canals (Rhône-au-Rhin and Tanneurs) to isolate its occupants and deter escapes. Its symmetrical architecture, inspired by military arsenals, reflected the power of the kingdom of France: the pediment adorned with lily flowers, cannons and flags dominated the city, recalling the submission of Franche-Comté after the 17th century wars. Originally, a church bell tower distinguished the building from its religious function, but it has now disappeared. The park, once used as a therapeutic vegetable garden for convalescents, also housed artillery casesmates, reused by Germans during World War II.

In 1798, the Ursulines transformed Charity into a religious school for girls and asylum for elderly women, despite unhealthy conditions: flood refectory, weekly collective showers, and overpopulation. The secularization of 1886 forced their departure, leaving room for the Jeanne d'Arc school, then for a higher primary course preparing for the teaching profession, one of the few professional avenues open to women. During the two world wars, the site served as a military hospital, with an interruption of classes in 1939-1940. Since 1965, it has been home to an annex to Charles Nodier High School, while its park, with restricted access for security reasons, retains remains of the 1940 German batteries.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1948 (hospital) and 1949 (bastion), the building illustrates the evolution of social and educational policies, from a repressive model under the Old Regime to a secular school vocation. Its history also reflects the military and religious upheavals of the Franche-Comté, between royal heritage, German occupation and modern adaptations. Today, the prison rings, the symbolic pediment and the casemates recall this duality between charity and social control.

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