In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu ("hostel of God") was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris being the oldest and most renowned, or have been converted into hotels, museums, or general purpose buildings (for instance housing a préfecture, the administrative head office of a French department).
Therefore, as a secondary meaning, the term hôtel-Dieu can also refer to the building itself, even if it no longer houses a hospital.
Examples include:
FranceHôtel-Dieu d'Angers, founded in 1153, one of the oldest in FranceHôtel-Dieu de Beaune, founded in 1443Hôtel-Dieu of Carpentras, built in 1754Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, created in 1478Hôtel-Dieu de Paris, founded in 660Hôtel-Dieu de Tonnerre, founded in 1293 and still preserved as part of the chief hospital of the townCanadaHôtel-Dieu de Montréal, MontrealHôtel-Dieu de Québec, Quebec CityHotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre, formerly the Hotel Dieu Hospital in St. Catharines, OntarioHôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital, Windsor, OntarioHotel Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario), Kingston, OntarioOtherUniversity Hospital, New Orleans, previously known as Hôtel-DieuHôtel-Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon, a private hospital owned by the French state
