Hôpital Porte Madeleine d'Orléans, Historical hospital and monument in Orléans, France
Hôpital Porte Madeleine is a former hospital and now a protected historical site in Orléans with buildings dating to the 17th century. The most notable structure is the chapel designed by architect Jacques V Gabriel and built between 1713 and 1717.
The site combines the buildings of the general hospital from the last quarter of the 17th century with those of the new Hôtel-Dieu, built from 1844. The earlier Hôtel-Dieu, founded in 1150 near the northwest corner of Sainte-Croix Cathedral, operated until 1844 and was demolished soon after, against the objections of Prosper Mérimée and Charles de Montalembert. Services moved to the new Orléans hospital when it opened in 2015.
The chapel Saint-Charles was built between 1713 and 1717 to plans by Jacques V Gabriel, then completed to Thuillier's plans in 1864. The hospital complex also holds the buildings of the general hospital from the last quarter of the 17th century and the new Hôtel-Dieu begun in 1844.
The site is now accessible to visitors and houses a health center that began operations in January 2021 providing medical services. The historical buildings are well preserved and can be viewed from outside, with the chapel being the main point of interest.
In 2022, excavations in the hospital's basement uncovered a Gallo-Roman necropolis of about sixty tombs and 23 lead curse tablets, folded or rolled and inscribed with magical texts in Latin and sometimes in Gaulish. The find came to light during archaeological work on the site of the former hospital.
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