In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu (English: hotel of God) was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris being the oldest and most renowned, or have been converted into hotels, museums, or general purpose buildings (for instance housing a préfecture, the administrative head office of a French department).

Therefore, as a secondary meaning, the term hôtel-Dieu can also refer to the building itself, even if it no longer houses a hospital.

The hôtel-Dieu of Beaune, boasting a beautifully preserved courtyard

Examples include:

Belgium
France
Canada
United States
  • University Hospital, New Orleans, previously known as Hôtel-Dieu
  • Hotel Dieu Hospital, Beaumont, Texas, founded in 1896 and consolidated with Saint Elizabeth's Hospital in 1970
  • Hotel Dieu Hospital, El Paso, Texas, founded in 1893 and permanently closed in 1987
Lebanon

See also edit