The First Hospital for the Mentally Ill in Europe?

In Valencia there is a street called Calle Hospital, although there isn’t one (a hospital I mean) and from there you can see a pile of ruins surrounding the public library and the MUVIM Museum.

The ruins correspond to the medieval hospital founded by Joan Gilabert Jofré (1364–1417), Padre Jofré, who is credited with founding the first psychiatric care institution in Europe.

Gilabert joined the Order of Mercy in 1370 and entered the Monastery of El Puig. Today, a corner of the monastery church is reserved for his tomb and a painting that explains his story and his importance.

On 24 February 1409, so the story goes, on his way to the Cathedral in Valencia to preach saw young men attacking a madman. After rescuing him and taking him back to his convent, he preached a sermon in favour of creating a charitable institution to care for the mentally ill, inspiring a group of 11 Valencians to fund this idea.

Backed by papal authority and King Martin of Aragon, Pare Jofré founded what was the world’s first hospital for the mentally ill, the Hospital dels Ignocens or Hospital of the Holy Innocents, also known as the Hospital dels Folls, or Hospital of the Mad.

Today the monastery houses a printing museum, and if you stroll around the back you can find another statue dedicated to Pare Jofre.