The Hospital of the Brotherhood of the Refuge

Abstract

The history of hospitals begins to be written with the history of the Church, which, moved by its zeal for caring for the needy, establishes places where they are welcomed and attended to in their hardships, particularly those caused by illness and its aftermath. These efforts are not only driven by the clergy but also by various lay groups that emerge within the Church, such as brotherhoods, fraternities, and guilds. These organizations ensure the existence of hospitals to care for their members, and sometimes, they extend their services to the broader community. Such is the case of our focus, the hospital of San Antonio de los Alemanes, also known by the name of the Brotherhood that administered it, the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Refuge and Mercy of Madrid.