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The Hôtel-Dieu de France is one of the three leading Lebanese hospitals. It is located on Alfred Naccache Boulevard in
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
, and is the oldest active French
hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
in the city. Hôtel-Dieu, an old French term for hospital, derives its name from its origins as a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
institution and translates to "hostel of God." It is the university hospital of Saint Joseph University of Beirut.


History

The origins of the Hôtel-Dieu de France date back to 1883 when an agreement between the
Government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
and French
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
gave birth to the French Faculty of Medicine ( French: ''Faculté française de médecine (FFM)'') of Saint Joseph University of Beirut. It continued to grow until 1975, when it was severely damaged and partially destroyed during the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...
. It continued its development and expansion at the end of the conflict. In 1984 the hospital was formally reassigned to the Saint Joseph University which is now responsible of its direct management, while remaining a property of the Government of France. * Chronology: 1888: Creation of the French Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, following an agreement signed between the Government of France and the Jesuits. However, the faculty lacked a hospital for practice. 1911: Under the leadership of R.P. Lucien Catin, S.J. and on the initiative of the newspaper
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
, the Syndicat de la Presse Parisienne (SPP) in France launched a subscription to build the hospital on a land purchased by the Government of France. 1914-1918:
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out and construction projects were frozen. 1922: General Henri Giraud laid the foundation stone and the construction started in 1923. General Maxime Weygand, his successor, inaugurated the Hôtel-Dieu de France, which opened its doors and admitted its first patient. 1965: An agreement was signed between the Hospital and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart delegating the task of nursing administration. 1984: The hospital remained the property of France but its entire management was transferred to Saint Joseph University of Beirut. 2001: Inauguration of the central building which housed new hospitalization facilities and departments. 2005: Inauguration of the private clinics’ tower. 2010: Under the leadership of R.P. René Chamussy s.j., Rector of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, the hospital decided to adopt a new governance system. 2020: The Hotêl-Dieu De France, situated in the Achrafieh area in eastern Beirut, accommodated the wounded after the Beirut Port explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, despite suffering damage to several operation rooms, laboratories, and other facilities. As the sole hospital capable of providing assistance and rescue operations for the injured in Beirut, it reached its full capacity due to the overwhelming demand for its services. 2022-present: Hotêl-Dieu de France faces the ongoing socio-economic crisis. It is grappling with the severe repercussions of the economic and financial turmoil that continues to afflict the nation, presenting formidable challenges that demand immediate attention. 2024: The Hotêl-Dieu De France accommodated the wounded after the Israeli pager and walkie-talkies attacks.https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/18/lebanon-doctors-tell-of-horror-after-pager-blasts_6726505_4.html


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel-Dieu de France Hospitals in Lebanon Hospital buildings completed in 1923 Buildings and structures in Beirut 1883 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Hospitals established in 1883 19th-century establishments in Ottoman Syria