This is the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune, France, once used as a Medieval charity hospital. In 1443 the chancellor of Burgundy, Nicholas Rolin, paid to build this hospital to save his tax paying citizens from the plague (the Black Plague).
It was plain looking on the outside to avoid attention, especially from looters. But the inside is colorful, and beautiful! I love the colorful tile roof-top - I guess that is what is called "Burgundian" style.
check out all those weathervanes
Above is the Pauper's Ward, or the poor mans ward. The ceiling is built just like a ship. At the far end is the chapel.
One side of the line of beds. During the epidemic there were two to a bed. Basically, you came to die here, especially since they didn't know to wash your hands or cover your mouth when coughing.
The cross-beams have monsters/creatures with their mouths wide open, and the center of the cross-beams had painted faces of real townsfolk.
The chapel at the end of the Pauper's Ward. They were here to die and needed spiritual saving as well as physical.
This is where the wealthier patients would stay, St. Hugue's Ward. They could afford better care and were more likely to survice after coming here, rather than dying in the other ward.
Some of the medicine in the Pharmacy. The nuns here grew their own herbs and mixed them too - I don't think they really knew what they were doing. I say that because the most common 'drug' was theriaca ("panacea", or cure-all), with the largest jar in there (it was HUGE). What was in theriaca? A mix of herbs, wine, and opium. Our pharmacist friends would appreciate that!
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