The Hospital of San Lázaro was founded by Juan Sánchez de Greviñán in 1481. The Brotherhood of Sorrows cared for those suffering and dying from ringworm and leprosy. Consequently, people assume it was named after Lazarus of Bethany who died from leprosy before Jesus miraculously rose him from the dead. However, the actual namesake is Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke parable. He was the poor beggar who entered Heaven after the rich man was rejected. In 1560, Philip II of Spain renamed the facility the Real Hospital. During the second half of the 19th century, this medieval landmark served the military and later a school before returning to army use until the 1960’s. It is now a restaurant.
