Collective Indulgence for the General Hospital

Collective Indulgence for the General Hospital

This historical document offers a glimpse into the history of the Hospital General de Valencia, founded in 1512. The Hospital General de Valencia united the numerous smaller hospitals of the city into one large institution at the behest of King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The document, dated the 4th of February, 1590, awarded the hospital the widest range of privileges according to the example of the Ospedale di Spirito in Rome. Gorgeously designed with a splendid border, figurative scenes, and two coats of arms, this collective indulgence conveys the importance of the Hospital General de Valencia across the centuries!

The History of an Important Institution

The Valencia General Hospital celebrated its 500-year existence in the year 2012. The origins of the hospital lie in the foundation of an institution at the behest of a king. Ferdinand II of Aragon decided in the year 1512 that all the hospitals of the city of Valencia, among them the Hospitals de le Reina, de Escalapés, Magdalena, and S. Lárazo, should be united into one great hospital: the Hospital General. This great and significant institution stood in service of the community, providing for both the sick as well as the needy, taking care of orphaned children, and serving as administrator in a wide variety of capacities. The Hospital General was a center of caritas, the idea of Christian charity!

Based on the Roman Model

The sheet of parchment measuring 60 x 45 cm, which is stored in Valencia to this day, is dated February 4th, 1590. In this gorgeous document, all of the privileges were granted to the Hospital General, which the Pope had allotted to the Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Rome. It is for this reason that the document is, among others, adorned with the escutcheons of both the city of Valencia as well as Rome.

Renaissance Ornament and Municipal Coats of Arms

The collective indulgence begins with the Latin words written in majuscule: “In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”. In the continuous text that follows thereafter, some words are emphasized with thicker script, e.g. the name of the City of Valencia, a few important names and designations for saints and God. A gorgeous, colorful frame encircles the text on the upper margin and on the page. Surrounded by a broad gold frame, five medallions are integrated into this decorative strip: three biblical scenes (or iconographic depictions of both hospitals in Rome and Valencia) and two escutcheons: the already-mentioned coats of arms of the cities of Valencia and Rome. Gorgeous, bright floral ornamentation – and two angels – fill out the vignette, which flows out at each end into a marvelous, pink-colored cloth festoon.