The hospital was established under the
Viceroyalty of Peru as the
Refuge for Incurables by
Friar José de Figueroa, well known for his treatment of the ill, in what was then known as
Maravillas Street. It was officialised with the Royal Decree of August 26, 1700. The date was chosen as the hospital's anniversary in 1993. Its name came due to the public that was attended there:
beggars,
cripples,
orphans and abandoned people. This was the nature of the hospitals at the time, as some were divided by the
caste system (
San Andrés for the
Spanish,
Santa Ana for the
Indians and
San Bartolomé for
freed slaves); others were divided by occupation, such as the Espíritu Santo in Montserrat, founded in 1573 and dedicated to those involved in the
Peruvian Navy; and others were divided by the public they attended. The terrain where the so-called "
cloister hospital" was built had originally belonged to the Novitiate of the College of San Antonio, belonging to the
Company of Jesus. It was administered by the
Bethlehemite Brothers during its early years. The
earthquake of 1746 partially destroyed the hospital, which was reconstructed to accommodate its increasing number of patients. However, it was only after the
Viceroy Count of Superunda's efforts that the hospital was properly rebuilt under his personal supervision. In 1804,
Viceroy Avilés created a women's pavilion. In 1862, a supreme decree transferred ownership of the establishment to the
Charity of Lima, whose directory renamed it to the
Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo Hospital on November 29, 1937. After 113 years, the ownership of the hospital was again transferred, this time to the
Ministry of Health, who renamed the hospital to its current name on April 30, 1981. ==Museum==