The "Hôtel Dieu" ("God's townhouse") dates from the 13th century. Although it is a public building on the esplanade of Notre-Dame Cathedral, visitors and Parisians rarely think of entering it (or even know they can).
L'Hôtel Dieu date du XIIIe siècle. Bien qu'il soit un bâtiment public sur le parvis de Notre-Dame, ni Parisiens ni touristes y entrent (ou savent même qu'ils le peuvent).
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Notre-Dame's medieval esplanade. To see the Hôtel-Dieu, please scroll down. |
The hospital was once among the multitude of houses that crowded up around Notre Dame -- please click and scroll down:
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| Until the 1860's, the hospital spread out on both sides of the river. |
If you walk behind the room with the information desk, you will find a garden and two long galleries. Here is one of the engravings that line their walls.
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| Nuns of the medieval Hôtel-Dieu tending the sick. |
They show the earlier city and the connection between Church and hospital.
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| Entry to the hospital now. Notre-Dame is on the right. |
Of course the hospital does nothing to attract the crowds lined up to enter Notre-Dame, and Parisians themselves ignore it.
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| Nineteenth-century architecture, traditional garden |
Yet this is public building and you may (quietly) walk in.
Interns "redecorate" the garden's statue at the end of each semester.  | ||
| Patients |
At the end of both side of the garden, you will find stairs. Climb them...
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| Doctors |
...and discover peaceful terraces -- with a view of Paris that almost no one knows.
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| Notre-Dame from the fourth-floor terrace |
For our walks, excursions and soirées, please click
Pour la traduction française, cliquez "version française" en haut de page.
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