Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose

About the museum

The Notre-Dame à la Rose hospital in Lessines, founded in the 13th century, is one of the oldest hospitals in Europe. For nearly 750 years a community of nuns cared for the sick, with spiritual care coming before care of the body. After the French Revolution it was renamed “Hospice civil de la Rose”, and medicalisation as well as the secularisation of the staff came about only gradually.

The cloister, built over almost four centuries, is striking for the unity of its late Gothic style; its galleries are closed by stained-glass windows. The site also includes a baroque chapel, the sick ward, a convent, a former 17th-century farm with its central dovecote, and a courtyard for the sick.

The collections, kept on site, comprise several thousand art objects: Gothic, Renaissance and Namur furniture, paintings from the 15th to the 20th century, statues, and civil and religious silverware. They are complemented by a rich collection of medical and pharmaceutical objects, including surgical instrument kits and the furniture and jars of the 19th-century pharmacy, which remained in use until the 1940s. The medicinal plant garden and its rose garden extend the visit.

Highlights

• Hospital founded in the 13th century, one of the oldest in Europe
• Late Gothic cloister, baroque chapel and the ward
• Art collections kept on site, including a unique set of Gothic furniture
• Medicine and pharmacy collection, with three rooms devoted to historic pharmacies
• Medicinal plant garden with audio guide, and rose garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Collections d'art et de patrimoine de l'hôpital – Gothic, Renaissance and Namur furniture, paintings from the 15th to the 20th century, statues and silverware, kept in the hospital where they were donated.
• Médecine et pharmacie – Medical and surgical instruments, furniture and jars of the 19th-century pharmacy, presented in three rooms.
• Jardin de plantes médicinales – Herb garden with information panels, audio guide and rose garden.

Operated by

ASBL Office de Tourisme de Lessines

Admission & discounts

Individual rates are shown in the online ticket shop (visit with audio guide or with a guide) and are not listed in the text of the page. Holders of the museumPASSmusées use the promo code “MUSEUMPASS” when booking. Free admission for classes of compulsory education of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (2025–2026 school year).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The site indicates access for people with reduced mobility and admission of assistance dogs; an Access-i sheet is available. People with reduced mobility are asked not to park on the Place Alix de Rosoit and to consult the car park map.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Family theatrical visits are offered during events (Halloween); guided visits and workshops adapted to all ages for schools.

Getting there & parking

By car: A8–E429 motorway, exit 29.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Café “L'Écuelle” (catering for groups and companies, picnic on request) and “La Table d'Alix” (reservation for groups of more than 20 people).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 200 guests.

Meeting rooms for 20 to 200 people, with projection, Wi-Fi and sound system, for seminars and works council meetings.

Plan your visit