Foundation of maladry XIIIe siècle (≈ 1350)
Created by Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Abbey for lepers.
1696
Integration into Vézelay Hospital
Integration into Vézelay Hospital 1696 (≈ 1696)
Fusion decided by Louis XIV with the Maison-Dieu.
1829
Major renovations
Major renovations 1829 (≈ 1829)
Repairs and conversion to a farm.
XIXe siècle
Agricultural construction
Agricultural construction XIXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Add a barn, tank and bouverie.
2003
Acquisition by the municipality
Acquisition by the municipality 2003 (≈ 2003)
Site became public property.
29 mai 2020
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 29 mai 2020 (≈ 2020)
Protection of remains and fence walls.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total, the archaeological remains and buildings of the old maladry, including the fence walls located on plots Nos. 477 to 481 in the cadastre section E1 and the soil of plots Nos. 478 to 481 in the cadastre section E1, which materializes the land right of the maladry still visible on the Napoleonic cadastre: inscription by order of 29 May 2020
Key figures
Louis XIV - King of France
Ordained the merger with the hospital in 1696.
Origin and history
Saint-Barthélemy, founded in the 13th century by the abbey of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Vézelay, was a leprosy designed to isolate and treat the contagious patients, especially pilgrims on the roads to Santiago de Compostela. Located southwest of the fortified city, it was responding to an increasing need for hospital infrastructure for travellers and local populations, in a context where incurable diseases such as leprosy required dedicated and secure spaces.
Over the centuries, the maladry was integrated into the hospital of Vézelay in 1696, by decision of Louis XIV, also merging with the Maison-Dieu of Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay. After the French Revolution, the site was transformed into a farm, with major works in 1829 and agricultural constructions added in the 19th century (grange, cistern, bouverie). The current remains, including the renovated chapel and a vaulted cellar with Gothic columns, bear witness to its medieval past.
Abandoned in the 20th century, the maladry became communal property in 2003. Its lands, rented for pastoral use, and its buildings, listed as historic monuments since 2020, retain notable architectural elements: original fence walls, slender columns similar to those of the Abbatial district of Vézelay, and arches d'arêtes in the cellar. The site illustrates the evolution of hospital, agricultural and heritage functions over nearly eight centuries.
