Medieval leprosarium

Timeline

1. 1000–1100Western Europe · Western EuropeAs towns grew and perceived cases of leprosy increased, the church and nobility funded léproseries outside the town walls, providing food, lodging, worship, and limited medical care for those "cast out of the community," forming an institutionalized model of charitable isolation.
2. 1100–1300France and England · EnglandChurch canons such as those of the Third Lateran Council strengthened obligations to isolate lepers; hundreds of leprosaria appeared in France, England, and elsewhere, receiving donated land and tithes, some possessing independent jurisdiction and passage markers (such as bells and distinctive clothing).
3. 1350–1500Europe · EuropeAfter the Black Death the social visibility of leprosy declined, and many leprosaria stood empty or were converted into general poorhouses or inns; land and endowments were redistributed by secular or ecclesiastical institutions, and the specialized leprosarium system gradually disappeared from history.