La colectivización de la asistencia social en la provincia de León a través de los hospitales

Abstract

The district of Bierzo was a stop in the Camino of Santiago and in its shadow an important support network developed in the Middle Ages. Many of these settlements were ephemeral, but others survived until the Early Modern Age, like San Juan de Cacabelos or Reina de Ponferrada. However, while the latter was reconstructed and adjusted to the new surroundings, becoming a health care and assistance-providing centre, the former, anchored in a rather primary scheme of assistance, gradually shrivelled to near extinction.