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Origin and history

The Hôtel-Dieu de Carpentras was built in the middle of the 18th century (1750–162) under the impulse of Joseph-Dominique of Inguimbert (dom Malachi), bishop of the city and enlightened patron. This ambitious project succeeded five medieval hospitals, which were deemed inadequate to meet health needs. The architect Antoine d'Allemand, bishop's cousin, designed a quadrilateral of 100×80 meters, organizing treatment spaces, Baroque chapel, and pharmacy with rare faiences. Funded by the diocese and the municipality, the building incorporated local materials (Caromb stone, Caunes-Minervois marble) and innovations such as a central monumental staircase.

The Hôtel-Dieu was served as early as 1764 by Augustine sisters, under the rule of St Augustine, but their role evolved with political upheavals. During the Revolution, the hospital became a place of military care, then regained its civilian vocation in the 19th century. A fire in 1847 destroyed part of the roof and stairway, restored thanks to the legacy of Isidore Morically, a native Marseille baker from Carpentras. The latter also financed stained glass windows and the consolidation of the building, allowing its classification as a historical monument in 1862.

In the 20th century, the Hôtel-Dieu adapted to modern sanitary standards: central heating (1910), operating rooms (1931), and maternity (1934), funded by Moricelly. During the two world wars, he received wounded and sick civilians, including victims of the Spanish flu (1918) or diphtheria (1939). The Augustine sisters, reduced to five members, finally left the site in 1976. The care was transferred in 2002 to a modern health centre, leaving room for the Inguimbertine library (opened in 2017) and the truffle market, one of the most important in France since 2008.

The architecture reflects the principles of the Enlightenment: large airy rooms to limit the miasms, chapel decorated with marbles, and pharmacy keeping 178 drawers and pots in faience from the 16th to 15th centuries (Moustiers, Montpellier). The Baroque facade, facing Avignon, symbolizes the opening of the city. Ranked for its movable heritage (62 objects listed), the building also embodies the philanthropy of Dom Malachie, founder of the eponymous library, and the medical legacy of Comtat Venaissin, marked by epidemics (pest, syphilis).

Today, the Hôtel-Dieu combines hospital memory and cultural dynamism. Its court of honor, formerly sister garden, hosts markets and festivals (TranssArt, Kolorz). The library, transferred in 2017, exhibits rare holdings, including manuscripts by Peiresc. The building, a communal property, remains a major witness to the social and religious history of Provence, between medieval charity and health modernity.

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