Foundation of the Hotel-Dieu 1209 (≈ 1209)
Creation by a religious community.
fin XVe siècle
Construction of the bell tower
Construction of the bell tower fin XVe siècle (≈ 1595)
Adorned stone arrow tower.
1682
Augustine Chapel
Augustine Chapel 1682 (≈ 1682)
Model inspired by the chapel Mazarine.
24 janvier 1947
Partial registration
Partial registration 24 janvier 1947 (≈ 1947)
Hall of nuns (17th century).
24 mars 1949
Classification of the chapel
Classification of the chapel 24 mars 1949 (≈ 1949)
Our Lady of Victory protected.
18 octobre 1979
Ranking of the bell tower
Ranking of the bell tower 18 octobre 1979 (≈ 1979)
Former chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
17th century building (room of the nuns) which extends the chapel Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire southward: inscription by decree of 24 January 1947; Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire (cad. AR 67): classification by order of 24 March 1949; Facades and roofs of the 17th and 18th century building known as building number 13 and refectory which contains woodwork and murals (Box K 1489): classification by order of 17 June 1968; Clocher of the former chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu (cad. AR 67): classification by order of 18 October 1979
Key figures
Geoffroy Herbert - Head of work (XV century)
Associated with the bell tower.
Paul Le Cacheux - Historician (18th century)
Author of an essay on the Hôtel-Dieu.
Marcel Lelégard - Archaeologist (XX century)
Studies on the chapel (1966).
Origin and history
The Hôtel-Dieu de Coutances was founded in 1209, although its current buildings date mainly from the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries. Located south of the Coutances agglomeration in the Manche department, it is an architectural complex marked by its hospitable and religious history. The stone arrow tower, built at the end of the 15th century, and the chapel built in 1682 for Augustine nuns illustrate this stylistic evolution, mixing medieval heritage and Baroque influences.
The chapel, dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire, is inspired by the model of the Mazarine chapel with a rotunda and a nave of three spans. Its bell tower, decorated with leaves and hooks re-used with an older decor, bears witness to the architectural practices of reuse in the 15th century. The site, still dedicated to health, now houses the Coutances Hospital, thus continuing its initial vocation.
The Hôtel-Dieu enjoys several protections as historical monuments. The nuns' room (17th century) has been inscribed since 1947, while the chapel, its bell tower, and elements of building 13 (woodworks, murals) are classified between 1949 and 1979. These measures highlight the heritage value of a complex of medical, religious and architectural history.
Historical sources, such as the works of Paul Le Cacheux (1895) or the accounts of the Archaeological Congress of France (1966), document his central role in the life of the Cotançais, especially under the Ancien Régime. The hospital augusts, present until the Revolution, marked the organization of care and assistance, reflecting the charitable structures of the time.
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