The Gothic masterpiece was founded in 1175 by Henry II of England and it functioned as a hospital until 1875. A reconstruction of the dispensary occupies one corner of the Salle des Malades, and a chapel and 12th century cloisters can be reached through a door at the end of the gallery.
Today the building houses the works of the 20th century artist Jean Lurcát and many of his vivid tapestries.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.