Hospice Comtesse, History museum in Old Town, Lille, France.

The Hospice Comtesse is a history museum in Lille's old town, occupying buildings that span from the 15th to 18th centuries. The site contains two courtyards and a medicinal garden that preserve the original layout of the former hospital.

Joan, Countess of Flanders, founded the hospital in 1237 within her palace; a fire destroyed it in 1468, and the sick ward was rebuilt by 1472. Another fire in 1649 led to reconstruction, and the complex served as Lille's main hospital until the late 18th century. It was decommissioned in 1939 and became a museum in 1962.

The museum displays Flemish paintings and period furniture that reflect how people in the region once lived and decorated their homes. Walking through the rooms, you see the tastes and daily life of northern French residents across different centuries.

The museum occupies the former hospital buildings on Rue de la Monnaie in Old Lille; enter through the brick vaulted passage into the courtyard, then follow the rooms around it. The sick ward, chapel, kitchen and prioress's apartments are all indoors, so the visit works in any weather. The 1724 classical pavilion closes the courtyard to the west.

The chapel ceiling bears 66 painted shields added in 1853, each representing a benefactor of the hospital; they were made by a former orphan of the hospice. A funeral plaque inside recalls French officers wounded at the 1745 Battle of Fontenoy who died here.