In the Middle Ages, glazed tiles were twice as expensive as ordinary tiles themselves five times more expensive than wooden shingle or thatched roofs reserved for more modest buildings. They were therefore intended for prestigious monuments (cathedrals, princely residences, bourgeois properties, hospital architecture) and constituted a strong marker of power in the heart of the city. The very hierarchy of the buildings within the same monumental complex was often observable on their roofing. Slate introduced into Burgundy by Duke Philip the Bold in the 14th century was essential for the most prestigious parts such as the large entrance building of the Hospices de Beaune. As for the glazed tiles, they highlighted certain elements of an architectural ensemble (wing, cloister, pavilion, tower, staircase turret, etc.).