Hôtel-Dieu

Hôtel-Dieu ("hostel of God") is the old name given to the principal hospital in French towns, for instance:

*The Hôtel-Dieu in Paris was founded in the year AD 660, has been extended at various times, and was entirely rebuilt between 1868-1878.
*One of the most ancient in France is at Angers, dating from AD 1153.
*The Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune (Côte-d'Or), founded 1443, is one of the most interesting. as it retains the picturesque disposition of its courtyard, with covered galleries on two storeys and large dormer windows.
*The great hall of the Hôtel-Dieu at Tonnerre, Yonne (1338), nearly convert|60|ft|m wide and over convert|300|ft|m long, is still preserved as part of the chief hospital of the town.Hôtel-Dieu may also be a reference to certain hospitals in other countries:

*Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, the first (and oldest) hospital in North America.
*Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, in Quebec City
*Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre, formerly the Hotel Dieu Hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario.
*Hotel-Dieu Hospital of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. An offshoot of the Hotel-Dieu de Montreal, which itself is an offshoot of the Hotel-Dieu de Paris. Opened in 1890 and continues to serve as a full service hospital in Windsor.
*Hotel Dieu of Kingston, Ontario Canada. An Ambulatory Care Teaching Hospital for Southeastern Ontario Health Sciences Centre for more than 160 years serving Kingston, Ontario.