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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The St. Peter's Hospital of Arnay-le-Duc was built between 1692 and 1700 to replace a small medieval settlement for travellers. The works, led by François Boitouset (architect or entrepreneur d'Avallon), began in 1693, as indicated by the date engraved above the door. Master mason Gaspard Janneau d'Autun and the son of Boitouset, Claude, participated in the realization. The hospital, organised around a courtyard accessible by a wrought iron gate, included a symmetrical main building with a central chapel, two sick rooms (men and women), outbuildings and a pavilion for hospital sisters.

Originally, the hospital housed six beds per room, a heating room, a kitchen, a dining room and a dormitory for nuns. In 1774, a pavilion replaced an old house with apothecary and bread oven. Around 1810, the heater was refitted for the passing military, resulting in a reorganization of the spaces. In 1873, the chapel was enlarged with an hors-œuvre choir designed by François Creusvaux, conductor of the Bridges and Chaussées, releasing space between the sick rooms.

Disused in 1977 after the transfer of the hospital to the former Capuchin convent, the site has been home to the Regional House of Table Arts since 1981. The entrance gate, facades, roofs and dovecot have been protected since 1981 as Historic Monuments. The ensemble illustrates the evolution of rural hospices, combining medical, religious and community functions from the 17th to the 19th century.

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