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Photographer’s Note

L'Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune est un hôpital pour les pauvres créé au XVième siècle. De tout temps, il n'a jamais cessé de rayonner et a fédéré d'autres établissements à Pommard, Nolay, Meursault et Beaune pour constituer une communauté que l'usage a dès lors baptisée : Hospices de Beaune. Aujourd'hui, l'Hôtel-Dieu est un musée dont la splendeur architecturale est restée intacte depuis le XVe siècle. Le domaine viticole génère une activité importante. La vente aux enchères de ses produits est un événement annuel incontournable de la vie des Hospices et de toute la bourgogne viticole.

The Hôtel-Dieu was founded on 4 August 1443, when Burgundy was ruled by Duke Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon) . The Hundred Years War had recently been brought to a close by the signing of the Treaty of Arras in 1435. Massacres, however, continued with marauding bands ("écorcheurs") still roaming the countryside, pillaging and destroying, provoking misery and famine. The majority of the people of Beaune were declared destitute. Nicolas Rolin, the Duke's Chancellor, and his wife Guigone de Salins, reacted by deciding to create a hospital and refuge for the poor.The hospital (known as the Hôtel-Dieu) received its first patient on 1st January 1452. Elderly, disabled and sick people, with orphans, women about to give birth and the destitute have all been uninterruptedly welcomed for treatment and refuge, from the Middle Ages until today. Today, the Hôtel-Dieu is a museum whose architectural splendour is unspoilt since the 15th century.
Equally, the vineyards generate a great deal of activity. The auction of its products is one of the essential annual events in the life of the Hospices and indeed in the whole world of Burgundy wine.

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Additional Photos by Jean Jacques Cordier (jjcordier) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3906 W: 237 N: 5042] (25226)
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