Royal San Lázaro Hospital

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Memory spaces

This hospital goes way back to the start of the 16th century. It took in leprosy patients from all over the islands. It was under the command of a royal reverand. A look at plans drawn up by Leonardo Torriani reveal its first siting in a modest building with a gabled roof and walled orchard garden, located to the north of town, near to the road to Las Isletas and therefore near to the coastline. According to the plan, the lazareto hospital was later moved to a new house, a few hundred metres to the east of its first location. As a northern wall was constructed, both buildings remained outside the walled city borders.

Having been destroyed by a Dutch attack, a new hospital was built in the 17th century, also to the north of the town centre, but within the walled bounderies, at the foot of the hillside it gave its name to. The lepers' retreat was isolated from the rest of town, but was a large sturdy building, made up of three wings with two floors each and topped with gable roofs. It has an extensive central orchard garden, closed off by a wall erected to the east. Its spaciousness reflected the importance of the illness around those times. The charity was able to survive thanks to rent and taxes brought in by the landowners, together with donations by the Bishop and money they were given outside church entrances. The hospital of San Lázaro stayed open until 1844, at which time patients were transferred to ancient convent of Santo Domingo. The old building was finally demolished in 1857.

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