The Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth (HaGalil street 6004), known also as "the Italian hospital", is the first catholic hospital in the north of Israel. It is entrusted to the Brothers Hospitallers order (Fatebenefratelli, in Italian, which means: "Do-Good Brothers"), founded by St. John of God.
The hospital is open to all as a result of love and charity, because they believe that the illness and suffering do not distinguish between ethnicity and religion.
The hospital logo
The history of the hospital started in 1881 when Prince Rudolph of Austria visited the Holy Land. He was guest of Mgr. Vincenzo Bracco, the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem. When Prince Rudolph arrived with the Patriarch to Nazareth he decided to offer something to this small town by building a hospital.
The building of the hospital started in November 1881 and finished in 1884.
The old building door
While they were building the final edifice of the hospital (in 1882), with the little money he obtained, he rented a house in the center of the town of Nazareth and founded the hospital. Then he decided to add an outpatient clinic.
The old corridor in front of the church
The hospital was closed in 1893 because of severe economic measures and of Ottaman laws. Then, in 1899, the hospital resumed his work and was enlarged to 30 beds. In 1901 the church was consecrated.
The church inside the hospital
In 1959 a new era started for the Institution in Nazareth: it was recognized as a general public hospital owned by private institution by the Israel ministry of health.
Main entrances of the hospital
The emergency room entrance
The oncology unit
- Photos and main text by Miriam Milintenda and Alaa Abu Hanna (February 2015)
- Locate the item on this Google Map
Bibliography
- "The Blessed Hands" book by The Association of "Friends of the Hospital",2007