Renaissance, The Beginning Of Secularization And Civil Charity

Renaissance, the beginning of secularization and civil charity

Introduction.

In the years of the Renaissance, a greater implication of the public authorities in the control of hospitals is evident. The municipal and state authorities begin to admit that hospitals are under their responsibility. And the State begins to take charge of public beneficence. Thus the secularization of hospitals begins.

Developing.

The priority function of hospitals continued to be the fight against poverty problems. However, in the Modern Age the fight against poverty was carried out from budgets and with a different purpose than the medieval. 

In the Middle Ages poverty had had a certain sacred character. It is true that idleness and laziness were condemned, but poverty was considered inevitable and loved by God. And it constituted an excellent means of redemption and spiritual improvement, safer for the salvation of the soul than the possession of wealth.

In addition, Christian charity forced especially the poor. And the prayers of the grateful poor could benefit their benefactors. But in the Modern Age, mercantilist thinking begins to see in the poor an unemployed workforce that is taxed for the rest of the community. 

And poverty becomes also seen as the main source of crime. Hence, modern laws against begging, and institutions are created where the poor are held and forced to carry out a job. Consequently, with this change in the assessment of poverty, ancient hospitals, which had an aslar function based on charity, will now have a function of seclusion at the service of social order.

This new aspiration of the civil authorities that the hospital maintains the social order can already be seen in Luis Vives, who affirmed in 1526: “I give the name of hospitals to those institutions where the sick are maintained and cured;where a certain number of needy is supported;where boys and girls are educated;where anyone’s children are raised;where the crazy people are contained;And where the blind people spend life. Know the councilors of the city that all these care are of their incumbency ”.

The new sanitary formula that was recommended in all modern states was: elimination of begging;unification and efficient organization of all resources;and passage of the control of institutions to municipal or national authorities.

conclusion.

However, the idea that the care and control of the poor are the responsibility of the community and not an ecclesiastical monopoly, only definitely imposed itself during the Protestant reform. And this process of secularization of assistance was more accelerated in the countries of Protestant religion, and in cities with a flourishing bourgeoisie.

In any case, real and municipal hospitals began to be founded throughout Europe. And in the big cities some religious hospitals went to civil jurisdiction. In Spain they were Renaissance hospitals of Fundación Real: the Hospital de la Santa Cruz de Toledo, the Hospital de los Reyes Católicos in Santiago, and the Real de Granada Hospital.