Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hôtel-Dieu de Dole is a former hospital built from 1613 on the initiative of the parliamentarian Jean Boyvin, at the request of the city council. Located in the capital of the county of Burgundy, then under Spanish domination, it replaces the insufficient hospital of the Holy Spirit. Despite initial resistance, notably from the Spanish governor and the local parliament, the project results in mixed negotiations and financing (city and legacy). The first stone was laid in 1613, but the work was slowed down by technical problems (unstable terrain) and military seats (1636, 1668, 1674).

The building gradually expanded: completion of the wing of Bauzonnet Street in 1686, construction of a spiral staircase in 1687, and addition of a Baroque chapel (1747-1753) designed by Antoine-Louis Attiret. In the 18th century, a stone staircase replaced the old, thanks to a gift from Canon Philibert of Persian. In 1840, a wing dedicated to wounded soldiers was built. The Hôtel-Dieu, classified as a historical monument in 1928, ceased its hospital activity in 1992 after 350 years of service.

Between 1998 and 2000, the building now houses the municipal archives, the heritage library and the media library of the Grand Dole. Its architecture, combining Renaissance and classical styles, includes remarkable elements such as an 18th-century apothecary with 150 earthenware pots, a wooded upper mother's office, and a 19th-century stained glass chapel. The French gardens once completed this hospitable and religious ensemble.

The occupation of the place has evolved: in the seventeenth century, the hospital sisters of Sainte-Marthe treated the sick there in rooms separated by sex and social class, while the chapel allowed to attend the Mass without mixing the patients. Today, the spaces are dedicated to culture and heritage conservation, with exhibition rooms, literary collections and administrative offices.

The Hotel-Dieu illustrates the medical and architectural history of Dole, marked by Spanish and then French influences. Its ranking in 1928 and its recent rehabilitation underline its heritage importance, while adapting its use to contemporary needs.

Future

Rehabilitated between 1998 and 2000, it now houses the city's municipal archives, library and media library.

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