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So close to Paris, with one foot in Champagne and the other in Picardy, is the Aisne department.
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Opening of the Trésor de l’Hôtel-Dieu museum
A secret passed from generation to generation and a well guarded treasure.
Founded in the Middle Ages, the Hôtel-Dieu in Château-Thierry looked after the sick, the infirm and the destitute. A community of Augustinian nuns ran the hospital from the 14th century, caring for the physical and spiritual well-being of their patients. In 1966, Micheline who worked in the hospital bursar’s office, was visited by a nun, Sister Theresa of Avila, who entrusted her with the keys to the Hôtel-Dieu attic and asked her to protect the “objects which were kept there”. Micheline was astounded to find a priceless treasure there: sacred works of art, religious pieces in gold and silver, tapestries, apothecary’s jars, paintings, sculptures...
A large part of this treasure, handed down from nun to nun, dated from the reign of Louis XIV and appears to have been the gift of M. Stoppa, a Lieutenant-General in the Sun King’s Swiss regiment, whose niece (unofficially his illegitimate daughter) had been placed in the convent.
Micheline had bolts installed to ensure that no patients could get into the attic and kept the secret to herself until 1983 when the Hôtel-Dieu was moved to the new hospital. Ever since she first discovered the treasure, Micheline has dreamed of sharing it by creating a museum. In 1988 an inventory of the collection was drawn up and restoration work began. After this the building was converted. Thanks to the support of 180 sponsors in France and abroad, and to Micheline’s perseverance, the Trésor de l’Hôtel-Dieu museum opened to the public on 12th September 2010.
You will discover a remarkable collection of sacred objects and works of art, as well as finding out about the daily life and iron discipline of the nuns in the convent – over 6 hundred years of the hospital’s history.
Florence Tabart – f.tabart@aisne-tourisme.com – 24/08/2010
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Visit Laon, the Chemin des Dames, taste our Champagne, book your hotel, gîte, self-catering, camp site or a delightful chambre d’hôtes (B&B), enjoy a stay at Center Parcs in a spacious cottage in a natural environment! Come with family or friends, and try one of a host of ideas for getting out and about. Relax, explore, walk, visit or choose from a wide range of leisure activities… Aisne, an ideal weekend getaway destination!