ABSTRACT
Hospitals as Centers of Religious Practice Although the Romans were the first to establish separate medical facilities (for economic and military reasons) that have been described as hospitals, the origin of the institution we know today as the hospital has usually been associated with the rise of Christianity. Christian theology emphasized that human beings were duty bound to provide assistance to the sick and needy. This belief was reinforced by the notion that spiritual salvation could be obtained by whoever provided such a service. Consequently, the Roman Catholic Church encouraged its clergy to found hospitals, located near churches as an integral feature of Christian religious endeavor. Furthermore, during the period of the Crusades (between 1096 and 1291), many hospitals were established along the routes to the Holy Land followed by the Christian armies. Secular benefactors, such as kings, queens, and other members of the nobility, wealthy merchants, artisan and craftsmen's guilds, and municipalities also founded hospitals. By the end of the fifteenth century, an extensive network of hospitals existed throughout Western Europe.
