Hospital de Santa Marta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hospital de Santa Marta |
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|---|---|
| Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Rua de Santa Marta, Santo António, Lisbon, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°43′25″N 9°08′44″W / 38.7235°N 9.1456°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | National Health Service |
| Funding | Public hospital |
| Hospital type | Group III (Central Hospital) |
| Patron | St Martha of Bethany |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | No |
| History | |
| Founded | 1890 |
The Hospital de Santa Marta (which means "Saint Martha's Hospital") is a public hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. It is a very important hospital for the Greater Lisbon area. It is part of the Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre, which is run by the government.
This hospital was once a nunnery for Poor Clares (a group of nuns). For most of the 1900s, it was a main school for Internal Medicine in Portugal. More recently, it became very good at treating heart problems. It is now one of the top places in Portugal for diagnosing and treating heart diseases and performing heart and chest surgeries.
Contents
History
From Nunnery to Hospital Beginnings
The story of Hospital de Santa Marta began in 1569. A priest named Father António de Monserrate asked King Sebastian for help. He wanted to create a safe place for girls whose parents had died from the Great Plague of Lisbon. This place was named after Saint Martha.
A few years later, in 1577, the priests asked for the asylum to become a nunnery. Pope Gregory XIII agreed, and it became a convent following the rules of Saint Clare. In 1583, Archbishop Jorge de Almeida officially started the convent. Nuns from other convents joined to form the new community.
The buildings that were already there were changed to become a church and a monastery. The new church was built in a style called Mannerism, starting in 1612 and finishing in 1636. You can still see beautiful 17th and 18th-century azulejos (painted tiles) in the hospital today, especially around the old cloister. In 1693, Catherine of Braganza, who used to be Queen of England, lived nearby. She had a special viewing area built to attend Mass in the church.
The Great Lisbon Earthquake
In 1755, a huge earthquake hit Lisbon and caused a lot of damage. The convent of Santa Marta was badly damaged, and the nuns had to live in tents outside. Even so, Santa Marta was one of only eleven convents that could still be used after the earthquake.
Becoming a Modern Hospital
In 1833, after a civil war in Portugal, the government decided to close many monasteries. Female convents like Santa Marta were allowed to stay open until the last nun passed away. For Santa Marta, this happened on December 15, 1887. After that, the building and everything inside became government property.
In 1890, the building was quickly turned into a hospital. This was to help people during a flu epidemic. In 1903, it became part of Lisbon's main hospital system, first called "Saint Joseph's Hospital and Annexes." Later, in 1913, it was renamed the "Civil Hospitals of Lisbon."
Between 1905 and 1908, the building went through big changes to become a hospital for certain diseases. It was updated with 700 beds, an operating room, a morgue, and an outpatient clinic. It even had a lift and electric lights! In 1910, it was renamed "Hintze Ribeiro Hospital" and became connected to the Lisbon Medical School. After a revolution in 1911, it was called the "Lisbon Faculty of Medicine Teaching Hospital." It gained more independence in 1922. In 1953, a new hospital, Saint Mary's Hospital, became the main teaching hospital for the city.
The Hospital de Santa Marta was updated again in the late 1950s. New sections for Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery were added. In 1971, a new building was built next to it for the outpatient clinic and administrative offices.
