Hôpital capitculaire de Notre-Dame - Tournai

The former Chapter Hospital Notre-Dame is one of the oldest hospital institutions in Tournai.

Founded by the Chapter of the Cathedral and known since 1187, in 1758, the current buildings replaced the 12th century building. They form a homogeneous whole in the late classical Louis and covered with new profiled cornices. It is a remarkable building particularly representative of the classical style of the mid-18th century.

The facade is accentuated by a remarkable entrance portal decorated with a Virgin and Child carved by Nicolas Lecreux.
In the courtyard is the entrance door to the main building, which was rebuilt after the war. It is preceded by a double staircase with a wrought iron baluster railing based on a d'Aviler model.
The side wing and outbuildings were rebuilt in a similar style after 1945. The leaves of the carriage entrance and the wooden frames with which the bays are equipped contribute to the heritage value of this ensemble, as do the stairwells, chimneys and ceilings that are still present in the buildings.

There is no precise date for the establishment of the hospital. However, a written trace from the 9th century testifies to the existence of the Notre-Dame hospital, then called "de la Charité du Gué". After the Norman invasion, the institution was reborn and developed, mainly thanks to donations from the canons Marcel and Gedulphe in 1112. Pope Innocent II also made a donation in 1139.

Since the 12th century, the responsible staff has been hospital nurses, led by a hotel cannon. We have little information about the end of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. However, during the French Revolution the hospital passed from the hands of the Church to those of the Civil Hospices Commission. The institute then developed and was divided into five sections : the hospital itself, a section intended for the "valudinarians" or poor disabled people, a maternity ward from 1824, a section for patients suffering from syphilis or scabies, and finally an ophthalmological institute in 1873. .

In the mid -19th century, the "black sisters" were replaced by civilian employees . In 1880, architect Beyaert made new plans to replace the hospital, which was considered too 'medieval'.

The building currently houses the Academy of Fine Arts.

Willem Vandenameele