Baugé: dragon's blood and crayfish eyes

Baugé en Anjou

As I have already written in another article pointing out something unusual in Baugé in Anjou, namely floating gardens, I like to quote this pretty introductory phrase from the city's official website: "Overworked city-dwellers, friends of nature, nostalgic, curious about the past, painters and poets find in Baugé the art of living in the serenity, harmony and simplicity of yesteryear". Evocative and seductive...

And indeed... you will stroll peacefully, with pleasure, along its streets. The city boasts 140 monuments listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage, including 11 historical monuments! Its old quarters hide picturesque alleys that take you from the Middle Ages to the 19th century!

And then there is the hospital, the hospital whose construction began in 1639, and which after 350 years of activity, opened its doors a few years ago for a journey called "from the care of the body to the care of the soul", and which describes the activities of the Hôtel-Dieu from the 17th to the 19th century .

And then, at the heart of this building, there is the apothecary...

 

The apothecary

It is recognized as one of the oldest in France, and one of the best preserved.
But, moreover, it is a jewel!

Etymologically, the word "apothecary" means "to keep, to preserve", from a Greek root, and "shopkeeper" from a Latin root.

It is therefore a place, a room, in which raw materials, plants, minerals, or other elements from the living, such as crayfish eyes ... or the famous dragon's blood!

The apothecary was furnished and equipped between 1675 and 1700.

Today, there are still more than 600 jars and various containers, made of wood, glass or earthenware, which are still admired.
Many of them still contain the powders and preparations of the time. In a small glass bottle, there is even the fingertip of a mummy, which is said to have helped in the healing process...

This is a unique collection including among others 16 albarelli, 91 pill boxes, 95 goat cheeses, 79 jars-cannon! So many mysterious terms, corresponding to so many different containers, since it was customary at the time to use specific pots according to the consistency of what they were to contain.

And the piece itself! 

It is a marvel!

All these pots, all these boxes, are arranged on Louis XIII style oak shelves and five twisted walnut dressers.
On the floor, a coffered oak parquet floor, assembled and pegged, has a marquetry pattern representing a sun in the centre.
The ceiling is made of painted chestnut wood, imitating white and red marble, and includes 11 coffers dotted with gold stars, underlining the importance of astrology in medicine at the time.

As you can understand by reading these lines, we are well beyond the unusual. We are in the use of extraordinary means, sought with faith and patience, in an equally extraordinary environment, equal to the importance given to the relief of contemporary ills. Do not hesitate to immerse yourself in this very special atmosphere...

 

Château et Hôtel-Dieu de Baugé
Place de l’Europe
49150 Baugé-en-Anjou
Tél. : 02 41 84 00 74


contact@chateau-bauge.com

 

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

(free version) ***

 

 


To go further....

Regards sur le patrimoine hospitalier : Apothicaireries, chapelles et mobilier

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Guide du Routard Anjou

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Goûtez à la douceur angevine, entre tradition et modernité : partez à la découverte du château du roi René, visitez la cave d'un petit producteur de vin, laissez-vous tenter par une sortie en canoë-kayak sur l'une des nombreuses rivières qui sillonnent l'Anjou, parcourez les allées du Bioparc troglodyte de Doué-la-Fontaine, et dégustez le fameux crémet d'Anjou dans une guinguette au bord de l'eau... Un après-midi, un week-end ou une semaine... tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour faire de votre séjour une expérience inoubliable. • Toutes les infos utiles pour découvrir le territoire ; • Tous les bons plans pour profiter au maximum de votre séjour ; • Tous nos coups de cœur : des incontournables aux visites hors des sentiers battus ; • Des adresses soigneusement sélectionnées sur le terrain ; • Des anecdotes surprenantes.
Loire - Anjou - Touraine : 20 belles balades

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DÉCOUVREZ LES PLUS BELLES BALADES avec les pages panoramiques du guide ou trouvez la plus proche de chez vous grâce à l'appli mobile. Le livre, très illustré, permet de plonger en plein cœur des secrets naturels de la région avec près de 150 illustrations, des photos en double page et des planches animaux détaillées. Familiarisez-vous avec les circuits proposés en lisant les infos pratiques (niveau de difficulté, accès, durée...)

SURVOLEZ les itinéraires en ANIMATION 3D grâce à l'appli mobile pour vous faire une idée du relief, de la végétation, de la longueur du parcours... Comme si vous y étiez !

SUR PLACE, CHOISISSEZ d'être guidé par le livre ou par l'appli mobile. Les deux sont autonomes !

ÉCOUTEZ ET IDENTIFIEZ plus de 150 CHANTS D'OISEAUX en pointant simplement votre téléphone sur le dessin dans le livre, ou en recherchant une espèce dans la rubrique Faune et flore de l'appli mobile.

Also to be seen in the department

Au Bon Pasteur

The Good Shepherd, congregation, museum, and hostelry

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Le Musée du génie Militaire d’Angers

The Military Engineering Museum of Angers

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The Ethno-Museum of the Château de Verrière

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La Loire à lama !

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Discover the regions of the Great West