Museum Hospices de Beaune

You're standing at the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune, the old hospital for the poor run by the Hospices de Beaune. Start with the front. Grey-white limestone, a steep roof of black slate, and surprisingly few windows. That wasn't a lack of taste. Behind this wall lies the great ward, and with so few windows it stayed cool in summer and mild in winter. See the tall spire on the roof? It's around thirty metres high. And above the heavy wooden door you can read: Hôtel-Dieu 1443.