Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hospital Saint-Gabriel d'Autun, founded in the 17th century to accommodate abandoned and beggars children, settled definitively in 1668 under the impulse of Bishop Roquette, bishop of Autun. A chapel was built in 1700, then an asylum between 1764 and 1767, forming an architectural ensemble in T. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul provide the care, while successive extensions (left wing in 1764-1767, right wing in 1822) adapt the establishment to medical and social needs.

The facades and roofs of the eighteenth century were classified as historical monuments in 1971, preserving this hospital heritage. In the 19th century, the hospital modernized with specialized pavilions (maternity, surgery, isolation) designed by architects Rochefort, Baden and Truchot. In 1960, the chapel was reduced, and the 1950s saw the construction of a central building to consolidate services. Purchased by the municipality in 2021, the site is now converted into an intergenerational residence by the Habitat and Humanism Foundation.

The initial architecture, marked by an E plane (central and symmetrical wings), mixes flat and slate tiles, with stone skylights and a metal campanile. Modern extensions on the terrace contrast with the classic style. The historic entrance, to the east, was rhythmized by an alley lined with wrought iron grids and gates, now replaced by an access on Frédéric-Latouche Boulevard. The site illustrates the evolution of hospital care, from medieval charity to modern medicine.

The hospital Saint-Gabriel also embodies the urban changes of Autun: initially isolated, it gradually integrates into the urban fabric, between the rue de Lattre de Tassigny and the current boulevard. Its history reflects social reforms (reception of the poor, maternity, psychiatry) and medical progress (operation rooms, hydrotherapy). The recent rehabilitation perpetuates its solidarity vocation, while preserving a remarkable architectural heritage, witness to four centuries of hospital history in Burgundy.

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