The Kitchen
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The Sisters of St. Joseph are privileged to have an important historical site of their founding sisters who lived in what we now call "the Kitchen."
During the French Revolution, the government confiscated all Church properties, including the sisters' Motherhouse where the Kitchen was. A regiment of Soldiers were accommodated in the building and didn't take very good care of it! For example, to make fires, they used the wooden pews from the chapel. After the Revolution, it took 10 years to rebuild the site.
In the second half of the 20th century, the Sisters made the Kitchen a heritage site. It remains a highlight for guests who stay at the Centre or for those who visit Le Puy for just a day.
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Please be advised that the Kitchen is only open between 1:30 -- 3 p.m. Visitors must be accompanied by a member of the Centre staff. In addition to a visit to the Kitchen, staff invite visitors to see the Living History Centre, which is near the Kitchen. The Centre provides historical background of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Le Puy from 1550 to the present.
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Artifacts Illustrating Founding Sisters' Daily Life
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Fireplace
The sisters probably used this fireplace. They boiled vegetables and at times a little meat in a cauldron over a big fire, which was a way of cooking until the 18th century. The heat from the fire warmed the room.
The iron plate on the back of the fire box is called a "fire back." It reflected heat throughout the room.
Ceiling
The wooden-beamed ceiling is a typical 17th century style, and it is the same ceiling the sisters saw. Recently, a humidifier was added in order to reduce the moisture and mold in the Kitchen.
Floor and Walls
The floor has been unchanged since the sisters lived here.The Kitchen was slightly larger when the founding sisters used it. Only part of the walls are ancient. The present-day entrance and the steps were put in later.
Salt Mill
Salt mills were popularly used in France. The salt came in chunks and needed to be ground to season food. In order to raise money, the government taxed salt, which was a valuable and precious commodity.
Foot Warmer
Since there was no central heating, the sisters used foot warmers to keep warm. The container was filled with embers from the fireplace.
Bed Warmer
Like the foot warmer, bed warmers used embers from the fire to keep people warm. They placed them between the sheets before people went to bed. They had been used since the 15th century in France. Queen Marie Antoinette had a silver bed warmer; the little holes were etched as fleur-de-lis. (You can see it at the Cluny museum in Paris.) However, bed warmers could have been dangerous due to potential fires. The English decided to use water instead of embers and thus invented hot water bottles.
Water Container
There was no running water so people had to draw water from a well and then bring it to the water container inside their house. These containers were not very large and they were used primarily for hand washing.
Ceramic Jugs
The sisters stored food in these jugs. Usually in the fall, farmers killed their pigs; the meat was then put in those jugs between two layers of salt for later use.
Lace-making Table
To supplement their small income, the Sisters used to make lace. Since there was no electricity, and it was dark in the room, they put a small oil lamp on a pedestal table surrounded by glass balls filled with water (one for each lace maker). These glass balls concentrated the rays of light and oriented them onto the lace-pillow so that the lace maker could see what she was doing.
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