Places & peopleLe Puy-en-Velay

Inside the Hôtel-Dieu apothecary.

Drawers are labelled with their contents. Jars are lined up on the woodwork, within easy reach. In Le Puy-en-Velay, the Hôtel-Dieu pharmacy preserves the memory of a workspace: here, items were classified, prepared, and dispensed. This local history of care is one of the sources of inspiration for Apoticari.

Read the article
Light falling on the drawers and jars of the Hôtel-Dieu apothecary.
Light on the apothecary’s wooden cabinets in Le Puy-en-Velay.

01

Welcoming and caring

The history of the Hôtel-Dieu begins with that of the pilgrimage routes. In the Middle Ages, the cathedral chapter founded a Notre-Dame hospital to welcome the most destitute pilgrims. From the 13th century onwards, the establishment dedicated itself more to the sick and those without resources.

The building has been transformed over the centuries. The hospital pharmacy that we see today is preserved in its 19th-century state. It belongs to the Hôtel-Dieu complex, located next to the cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the pilgrimage routes of Santiago de Compostela.

02

Order in the service of care

What is striking about the pharmacy is the precision of its organisation. The containers are not interchangeable: their sizes, labels, and placement in the furniture allow for the identification of the substances. Large wooden units hold small quantities; the architecture of the room extends even into the construction of a drawer.

Plants hold a special place here. In the Hôtel-Dieu tour, a room is dedicated to them. This allows us to link the preserved objects to their former contents and the knowledge that accompanied their use.

Apothecary jars among the labelled drawers of the Hôtel-Dieu.
The apothecary’s jars and drawers.
An Apoticari bottle among the apothecary’s old boxes.
An Apoticari bottle among the old pharmacy boxes.

03

A living reference for Apoticari

Apoticari was born in Le Puy-en-Velay. The Hôtel-Dieu apothecary provided us with a starting point: the attention paid to plants, the legibility of the containers, and care as a form of preparation work. Our world of amber bottles and botanical labels bears the mark of this.

The visit continues naturally into the town. To organise your trip to the Hôtel-Dieu, check the visiting conditions with the Pays d’art et d’histoire: they may vary by season.

Historical references: Pays d’art et d’histoire du Puy-en-Velay.