Acquisition of land 1714 (≈ 1714)
Land acquired at the top of the city.
1733
Initial opening
Initial opening 1733 (≈ 1733)
14 beds and chapel open.
1735
Letters patent of Louis XV
Letters patent of Louis XV 1735 (≈ 1735)
Official recognition by the king.
1739
Recruitment of a surgeon
Recruitment of a surgeon 1739 (≈ 1739)
Help for nuns for care.
1826
Enlargement
Enlargement 1826 (≈ 1826)
Second sick room built.
1829
Creation of the *mixture de Belleville*
Creation of the *mixture de Belleville* 1829 (≈ 1829)
Sister Martinière's formula marketed.
1850
Third sick room
Third sick room 1850 (≈ 1850)
T-plan finalized.
1911
Adding the operating block
Adding the operating block 1911 (≈ 1911)
Gaillardon Foundation.
1962
Transfer of medical services
Transfer of medical services 1962 (≈ 1962)
Start of the decline of the Hôtel-Dieu.
1991
Final closure
Final closure 1991 (≈ 1991)
End of the hospice.
1994
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1994 (≈ 1994)
Protection of 18th century buildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Louis XV - King of France
Sign the letters patent in 1735.
Sœur Martinière - Community Superior
Creator of the Belleville *mixture* in 1829.
Origin and history
The Hôtel-Dieu de Belleville, founded in 1733 in Belleville-en-Beaujolais, was originally designed to accommodate 14 poor people. Its opening marked the beginning of a charitable institution run by nuns of the order of Sainte-Marthe, detached from the Hôtel-Dieu de Villefranche. The building, located high to avoid the Saône floods, included a 14-bed room and a chapel. Two years later, in 1735, Louis XV granted letters patent to the establishment, formalizing its status.
In 1739, a surgeon was recruited to assist the nuns in caring for the needy. The institution gradually grew: a second room for the sick was added in 1826, followed by a third in 1850, forming a T plan typical of the Hôtels-Dieu. In the same year, a chapel dedicated to the sisters was built. Apothecary, with pots in porcelain and porcelain, became famous thanks to the blending of Belleville, a pharmaceutical formula marketed until 1964, developed by Sister Martinière in 1829.
The Hôtel-Dieu experienced major modernizations in the 20th century, with the addition of an operating block in 1911 (Fondation Gaillardon), a maternity in 1920, and a radiology service in 1936. However, his medical activities declined after 1962, when services were transferred to a new hospital. The site then served as a hospice for the elderly until 1991, before being classified as a Historic Monument in 1994. Today, it houses a museum presenting its rooms of furnished patients, its operating room, and a reconstituted herbal garden.
