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Origin and history

The Hôtel-Dieu de Tonnerre, also known as the Hôtel-Dieu Notre-Dame-des-Fontenilles or Old Hospital, is a medieval hospital founded in 1293 by Marguerite de Bourgogne, Countess of Tonnerre and widow of Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily. Built in just two years thanks to significant financial resources and local materials (stone of the maulnes quarries, Puisaye wood), it welcomes its first patients in 1295 in a 96-metre-long Grand Hall, then the largest in Europe. Marguerite was buried there in 1308 in the choir, where her copper and bronze tomb, looted in 1793, was replaced in 1826 by a marble mausoleum.

In the 15th century, the establishment enriched with a Tomblay (1454), carved by Georges and Michiel de la Sonnette for the merchant Lancelot de Buronfosse, and a Virgin at the Buisson Ardent (circa 1305), symbol of the foundation. Between 1642 and 1648, a second hospital was built to remedy the moisture problems of the Grande Salle, decommissioned and then used as burial until 1777. In the 18th century, extensions (Courtanvaux room, surgery firm) transformed the facade, while an astronomical meridian was drawn in 1785 by Dom Ferouillat, validated by astronomer Lalande.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the Grande Salle became a hall, Marguerite's tomb was desecrated, and the bell tower arrow destroyed. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, the Hôtel-Dieu ceased its hospital activity in 1982 with the construction of a new centre. Today, it houses liturgical collections, medical reconstructions, and works such as the tomb of Louvois (1691, transferred in 1819), masterpiece of Girardon. Its exceptional dimensions and history make it a unique testimony of medieval hospital architecture and Burgundy philanthropy.

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