Maladrerie Saint-Lazare de Voisinlieu, Medieval hospital in Beauvais, France.
Maladrerie Saint-Lazare is a complex of stone buildings arranged around a central courtyard, featuring Romanesque architectural details and vaulted chambers throughout the layout. The site in Beauvais contains distinct areas that served different functions within the medieval institution.
The site was founded in 1131 to care for people with leprosy, serving this role for centuries. It continued operating until the 18th century when it was sold as national property during the French Revolution.
The name comes from Saint Lazarus, patron saint of lepers, and the site served as a leprosarium until the 18th century. New patients were received in a ceremony in the Saint-Lazare chapel, after which they were considered socially dead; women of the community provided care, mainly baths. Around fifteen lepers lived here at a time, from nobles and clergy to labourers and servants.
The site is open to the public year-round, and the buildings are grouped around a central courtyard, so allow time to walk between the church, dormitory, refectory and barn. The grounds are partly grassed, and the enclosure wall and its gates stand at the edge of the property.
The institution held its own legal and fiscal privileges during the Middle Ages, making it one of the largest landowners in the region. This protected status allowed it to expand operations and serve patients independently.
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