HOSPITAL OF ST. MARY (Maison Dieu)

The Hospital of St. Mary (aka Domus Dei or Maison Dieu) dates back to 1203 when it was built to house the destitute, wounded and poor soldiers, and, particularly, pilgrims coming to England to visit the Thomas à Becket shrine in Canterbury. The original buildings consisted of one large hall with a kitchen and living quarters attached for the Abbott and Brothers who 'practised hospitality to all strangers.' The resident monks eventually added stables, gardens, a bakery, a brewery, and orchards. When Henry III consecrated the chapel in 1227, he was the first in a long line of monarchs to visit the Maison Dieu (others have included Edward II, Edward III, Richard II, Henry V and Henry VI.)

Thomas à Becket Henry II (1154-89) was the son of Queen Maud and Geoffrey of Anjou. He took as his emblem the "Sprig of Broom" of the House of Anjou, which in the French was "Plant a Genet," or Plantagenet. Henry was a reasonably good king for those days but he had a terrible temper that often got him into trouble. For example, he had unlicensed castles that had sprung up during the anarchy of the Civil War torn down and reclaimed many of the "Divine" rights and powers of the Crown that had thought to be passed to the people. Henry's chief administrator (and party mate) was a cleric named Thomas à Becket. They became such good friends that when the See of Canterbury fell empty in 1162, Henry convinced a very reluctant Becket to become the new Archbishop. Henry, of course, assumed that his friend would be sympathetic to the royal cause in the escalating battle between church and state. Alas, he wasn't. Becket underwent a change of character as Archbishop, becoming perhaps overly severe and strict in his observance of church law. He wore a penitential hair shirt under his vestments and had his underlings flog him frequently. More importantly, he opposed Henry over the question of the supremacy of ecclesiastical courts. At that time, anyone officially associated with the church could only be tried in church courts. But, the number of clerics included several levels of lay priests and clerks and because of the huge number of people involved, there were many instances of "non-prosecution." Henry, who wanted to reestablish the scope of his royal power, claimed that the "criminous clerks" should be tried in royal courts. To his surprise, Becket didn't agree. Recognizing Henry's anger and knowing from past experience how unreasonable his friend could be, Becket fled to France. Through the intervention of the Pope, the two eventually were reconciled and Becket returned to England. But, once back home, he immediately infuriated Henry by excommunicating those bishops who had prudently supported the king during Becket's exile. Henry flew into one of his famous rages and four of his knights, perhaps seeking to gain the king's good graces, rode from Westminster to Canterbury and killed Becket in front of the main altar of the Cathedral when he refused to relent. Henry, full of remorse, did penance imposed by the pope. He walked to Canterbury Cathedral dressed in sack cloth and ashes and demanded that the monks flog him for his role in Becket's death. He also gave in (temporarily) on the question of court authority. In a very short time miraculous cures began to be reported at his tomb in Canterbury. The old Cathedral burned down in 1174, and it was the growing popularity of Becket's shrine as a place of pilgrimage that paid for its rebuilding. Much of the magnificent Cathedral seen today is the result of gifts and the sale of "official souvenirs" at the shrine during the next few hundred years. Canterbury became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in western Christendom.

The monks were evicted in 1544 during the Protestant Reformation and the Maison Dieu was given to the Royal Navy to serve as a supply center for the English fleet. It served in that capacity for over three hundred years, from the time of the Spanish Armada to the Battle of Trafalgar.

In 1834, the building was sold to city and converted into Dover's Town Hall, housing the Mayor's office, Council Chambers, and Magistrates' Courts. Now part of the Old Town Hall complex, the Maison Dieu has four main rooms--- Stone Hall, Connaught Hall, the Council Chamber, and the Mayor's Parlor--- that are regularly used for theater productions, concerts, and as a center for conferences, fairs, weddings, fashion shows,special banquets, and occasional ecumenical religious services. Stone Hall is particularly impressive, with magnificent pictures, Cinque Ports stained glass, and a collection of arms and armor. The six windows on the south front of the hall are Victorian-era copies of the original Medieval windows.

Immediately adjacent to Maison Dieu is the Maison Dieu House, noted for its beautiful red brick facade. Built in 1665, it is said to be the town's oldest " domestic" building and is particularly noted for its magnificent Jacobean staircase. Although now the new home of the Dover Town Council--- it has served a variety of purposes during its lifetime--- as a naval station, as the official residence of the Royal Engineers commandant, as a private home, as the city engineering and electricity headquarters, and as the Dover town library.

The Dover War Memorial, erected on the front lawn of the Maison Dieu House, depicts a bronze figure of Youth, feet encircled by thorns and hands outstretched to grasp a fiery cross. The statue is meant to symbolize self-sacrifice and devotion. The Youth's hand grasping the cross enveloped in flame shows the triumph of the spirit over bodily suffering. The thorns at his feet represent the difficulties in the path of life overcome. The memorial is the work of one of the Dover's most famous sons, Reginald Goulden, who was born in the city in 1877, attended Dover College and the Dover School of Art, and served with distinction in France during World War I. A quick walk around the house to the gardens located behind the Maison Dieu provides a beautiful view of Dover Castle.

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