Musée du Trésor de l’Hôtel-Dieu

About the museum

The Hôtel-Dieu of Château-Thierry was founded in 1304 by Joan of Navarre, Queen of France, on the model of the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris. Augustinian sisters received the poor, pilgrims, the elderly and the sick there. At the end of the 17th century, the prioress Anne de La Bretonnière, supported by her family, had the institution rebuilt and acquired many works of art. During the Revolution, the treasure escaped confiscation.

In the 19th century a new hospital was built by the architect Eugène Rouyer: the foundation stone was laid in 1876 and the inauguration took place in 1879. The Augustinians' treasure came through both World Wars and remained in Château-Thierry. After the departure of the last Augustinian sister, the hospital took over the whole site in 1966; the works were rediscovered in the attics.

When the hospital services moved in 1983, the works were restored. The first exhibition room devoted to sacred art opened in 1988, and the museum's fit-out continued until 2002. Today the museum displays more than 1,300 works across many rooms, drawn from the Augustinians' possessions, the hospital centre's holdings and donations.

Highlights

• Treasure of the Augustinian sisters (late 17th century)
• Paintings and sculptures, including works listed as historic monuments
• Faience, porcelain and 18th-century furniture
• Liturgical objects and textiles
• Collection of surgical instruments and medical equipment
• Tea room in the courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu (April to October)

Permanent exhibitions

• Beaux-arts – Mostly religious paintings (including a large canvas by Largillierre depicting the Stoppa family) and sculptures in wood, stone, ivory and marble.
• Arts décoratifs – Porcelain, faience, 18th-century furniture, liturgical objects and textiles, displayed in reconstructed rooms.
• Médecine – Surgical instruments, beds, cradles and hospital equipment, in use until 1983.

Operated by

Communauté d'agglomération de la région de Château-Thierry (Pôle muséal)

Admission & discounts

The €8.10 rate covers the guided visit (the museum can only be visited with a guide). Free on proof of status for: under-18s, students under 26, people with disabilities and one companion, job seekers, holders of the ICOM card, the Carte Culture, the Pass éducation or the Pass Culture, journalists, tour guides, members of the association Arts et Histoire and of the network of Hôtels-Dieu and historic apothecaries.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

Car access via the rue du Château is prohibited. Château-Thierry is 60 minutes from Paris via the A4, 40 minutes from Reims via the A4, and 40 minutes from Soissons, Épernay and Meaux.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Tea room of Anne-Charlotte in the courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu, open April to October, Wednesday to Sunday, 09:30–12:30 and 14:00–17:00. Accessible without a museum ticket (coffee, herbal teas, fruit juice, hot chocolate and the sisters' marzipan). Museum shop: stationery, abbey products, tableware, children's items and books about the Hôtel-Dieu.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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