Beaune was a beautiful little village that Guy wanted us to see. Fortunately, we found a nice hotel not far from the city, and we were able to stop and spend a little time here.We saw several interesting art shops and even some
unusual art on the street, but the most wonderful part of Beaune was the Hotel-Dieu, an old hospital-turned-museum built in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of Philippe-le-Bon, Duke of Burgundy. We toured the place inside and out, and it was truly remarkable to see not only the beautiful architecture, but all of the art housed inside. The Chancellor and his wife decided to build the place to support the poor sick people of the region who were suffering because of the Hundred Years' War. You can read more about this wonderful place here - Hotel-Dieu. The ambience of the place was peaceful and serene, and oh so respectful. I thought, "if I were very poor and very sick, it would be so nice to be surrounded by all of this loveliness and dignity."
The beds were pieces of art themselves - these magnificent wooden structures that smartly contained all the necessities of a regular hospital room, were all lined up single file against the
outside walls of the Great Hall. They were made up with bright, crimson red blankets against crisp white sheets, making a breath-taking scene as one entered the hall. I could just imagine the beds as they must have been so long ago, filled with sick and dying poor people, being cared for as if they were kings, and how grateful they must have been to spend their last moments in this sacred hall. It was so dramatically special - not at all like some token charity place - but rather, an honest, heart-felt gift of charity for people in need who had nothing to give in return.
In the Saint Nicholas Room, which was designated for the "poor and sick in danger of dying," I saw plaques upon the walls throughout the room in French, and while I could not translate everything too easily at the moment, I realized that the words were powerful and beautiful. I took a photo of one, and I've done my best to translate:"God takes care of me; He has eyes specially attached on me, and I uniquely am tested, because I uniquely am loved. The just one that suffers with patience is an example of the touching mercies of God, a vase of honor that embellishes itself under His hand, and that He intends for the noblest usages."
I really loved the Hotel Dieu, and I felt different after I left it.
We found a more traditional French restaurant for dinner there, and Niki decided to try her hand at artful food presentation by making a fabulous design out of our leftovers. Too bad we didn't manage to get a photo of that.
