Medicine and Charity:
Hôtels-Dieu from the Middle Ages to New France
From October 15, 2025
What did hospitals in New France inherit from French medieval hospitals?
Montreal's museum Musée des Hospitalières is presenting a new exhibition where the visitors of all ages will find the answer to this question and many others in a brand-new exhibition that covers two continents, the largest temporary exhibition ever mounted by the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu. This exceptional and truly vibrant exhibition, Medicine and Charity: Hôtels-Dieu from the Middle Ages to New France, produced in collaboration with France, should be of interest to many visitors.
Featuring stained-glass pieces, sculptures, paintings, furnishings, tapestries, common objects related to patient care, and archival materials, the exhibition opens a fascinating window to the extraordinarily rich hospital heritage of France and Québec.
The Musée benefited from a fruitful partnership with four Hôtels-Dieu in France, founded between the 13th and 17th centuries in Tonnerre, Beaune, Chalon-sur-Saône, and Baugé. Several religious communities in Québec also lent artefacts: the Augustines of Québec City, the Sulpiciens of Montréal, the Grey Nuns, and, of course, the Hospitalières de Saint-Joseph. In addition, there was the valuable support offered by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the Université de Montréal, and McGill University.
Items never seen before in Canada
Visitors will have an opportunity to see almost a hundred remarkable works and archival materials from France classified as cultural assets and never before displayed in Canada, as well as more than fifty artefacts from Québec.
The exposition is a celebration of the history and heritage of hospitals in France and Québec, stretching back hundreds of years. The Hôtels-Dieu established in New France in the 17th century followed the long hospital tradition that began in the West in the Middle Ages, when charitable institutions – places of worship and welcome – were founded on Christian charity. Their purpose was to care for the poor and all those in a situation of vulnerability: the most disadvantaged, the infirm, the sick, pilgrims, and the elderly.
Pioneering women in the spotlight
The hospital environment was one of the few areas in which women, lay or religious, had the opportunity to put their management and/or caregiving skills to good use. The exhibition highlights women who played an essential role as founders or patrons, from Margaret of Burgundy to Jeanne Mance, who were respectively the founders of Hôtel-Dieu de Tonnerre in 1293 and Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal in1642, as well as Guigone de Salins, who, in the 15th century, took the torch from her late husband, Nicolas Rolin, at Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune.
This vibrant, vivid exhibition highlight an important part of the history of France and Québec – don’t miss it!
Acknowledgments
This project has received support from the Société des Attractions Touristiques du Québec through the Tourism Growth Program of Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions. The Musée receives operating funding from the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec and from The Ville de Montréal. The Musée des Hospitalières extends its warmest thanks to its lenders, sponsors, and partners
All photos @Nadia Slejskova
For more information visit the museum's website.
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| Jeanne Mance, Oil on wood |
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