Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon

Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon was a hospital of historical significance situated on the west bank of the Rhone river, on the Presqu'île. It has been out of use since 2010. As part of the Presqu'ile district, the building was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other buildings within Lyon's historic centre.First erected in medieval times, the building originally served as the "Confrérie des frères pontifes", a pontifical meeting-place and refuge for both traveling and local members of the clergy. However, when the first doctor Maître Martin Conras was hired in 1454, 'Hôtel-Dieu' became a fully functional hospital, one of the most important in France. As Lyon was a city known for its trade and seasonal fairs, many of the early patients were weary travelers of foreign descent.

In 1532, 'Hôtel-Dieu' appointed former Franciscan/Benedictine monk-turned-doctor and great Humanist François Rabelais, who would write his Gargantua and Pantagruel during his tenure here.