Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew

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Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza
History
Former name(s)Hospital of Our Lady of the Conception
OpenedJanuary 1, 1552
ClosedMarch 8, 1875

The Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew (

historic centre of Lima, Peru
.

The hospital is notable due to the fact that it was the first hospital in both the country and South America.[1] It is also linked to the National University of San Marcos and its early history of healthcare studies, and once housed a number of mummies of the Inca Empire's nobility, including that of Pachacuti.[1]

In 1875, given the extensive hospital needs of the capital, the Dos de Mayo National Hospital was established in a new location, which inherited the responsibilities of the old royal hospital.[2]

History

It is known that on March 16, 1538, the Cabildo of Lima assigned two plots of land for the operation of the Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (located at the Jirón Lima, next to the current Convent of Santo Domingo). The narrowness of its environments meant that on November 21, 1545, the same council assigned eight lots for the relocation of the hospital in front of the current Plaza Italia. This new hospital was called the Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew and the transfer of patients and belongings took place in 1550,[3] and its continuous operation began between 1552 and 1553.

The hospital was also home to the first anatomical

Royal School of Medicine of San Fernando in 1811 and the first House of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.[3]

In 1868 a yellow fever epidemic hit Lima, causing 6,000 deaths. This, added to the growth of the population and the inconvenience of the old hospitals that existed in the city, led on May 1, 1868, President Pedro Diez Canseco to decree the founding of a modern and larger hospital, which was named Dos de Mayo, in homage to the Battle of Callao fought on May 2, 1866, against Spain. The funds for this purpose came from three sources: the surplus income of the Charity of Lima, the existing fund of the brotherhoods that was in deposit and a Government allowance amounting to S/. 2,000 per month.[4]

In the Hospital of San Andrés there was an area

dedicated to the care of people who had lost their minds, called the "loqueria", which operated until December 16, 1859, when all its occupants were transferred to the new Hospital Civil de la Misericordia. The royal hospital continued to operate until March 8, 1875, when all patients transferred to the newly inaugurated Dos de Mayo Hospital. The premises then functioned as a convent of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, and since 1929, of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate. Later, part of the land ended up being converted into the current San Andrés Police Station (in front of the Plaza Italia), and the rest was used by the Óscar Miró Quesada School, until in 2007 the students were evacuated by Civil Defense, due to the risk of collapse. Since December 2009, the Charity of Lima manages the 5,000 m2
that remain of the 10,000 that the former San Andrés hospital had when it was founded in 1552.

Mummies

There are several accounts from chroniclers that talk about the preservation of several Inca mummies, among these those of the

University of San Marcos (with support from the University of Chicago and the National Geographic Society
) that unveiled a colonial cemetery, among other things. An effort led by architect Edgar Santa Cruz and archaeologist Héctor Walde intends to turn the hospital as a museum of Peruvian medicine.

Recent history

The former hospital was damaged in 2010 after it was leased by the Charity to businessman Luis Alberto Rodríguez, who attempted to fix the dilapidated building with concrete.[8] The building's remaining 5,000 square metres are divided into two parts: the part that was leased to Rodríguez and the part where the Óscar Miró Quesada de la Guerra School operated until the late 20th century.[9]

It is currently used as a workshop where the Balconies of Lima are maintained and fixed.[10]

Gallery

  • Main patio
    Main patio
  • Map of the hospital
    Map of the hospital
  • Patio with fountain
    Patio with fountain
  • Crowd at the hospital
    Crowd at the hospital
  • The hospital's chapel
    The hospital's chapel
  • A Marian nun talking to people
    A Marian nun talking to people
  • Inside view of the hospital
    Inside view of the hospital

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "La historia de San Andrés, el hospital más antiguo del Perú en donde se halló un cementerio colonial". La República. 2022-11-03.
  2. Anales de la Facultad de Medicina
    . 61 (3).
  3. ^ a b "Reseña Histórica: Historia del Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo". Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo.
  4. ISBN 9972-205-70-3
    .
  5. ^ Pino, David (2011-08-12). "Las Momias del Hospital Real de San Andrés". Lima la. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16.
  6. ^ Mayans, Carme (2018-11-21). "El misterio de las momias de los reyes incas". National Geographic.
  7. ^
    Medium.com. Cultura para Lima
    . 2015-09-28.
  8. ^ Salazar Vega, Elizabeth (2010-03-13). "Histórico hospital San Andrés fue dañado y alquilado para comercio". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23.
  9. ^ Ardiles, Abby (2022-06-23). "Barrios Altos: mira los tesoros hallados bajo el primer cementerio de la ciudad". El Comercio.
  10. ^ Yrigoyen, María del Carmen (2019-10-07). "El primer hospital del Perú es hoy la clínica de los balcones patrimoniales". El Comercio.
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