The Heilig-Geist-Spital (English: Holy Spirit Hospital) in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

was the largest hospital in the former

Free Imperial City of Nuremberg The Free Imperial City of Nuremberg () was a free imperial city – independent city-state – within the Holy Roman Empire. After Nuremberg gained piecemeal independence from the Burgraviate of Nuremberg in the High Middle Ages and considerable ...

. It was used as a hospital and nursing home. Its chapel was also the depository of the

Imperial Regalia The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, C ...

, the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, between 1424 and 1796. The regalia, among them the

Holy Lance The Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Longinus (named after Longinus, Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is alleged to be the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his Crucifixion of Jes ...

, were shown to believers once a year in a so-called ''Heiltumsweisung'' (worship show) on the fourteenth day after

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

. For coronations they were brought to

Frankfurt Cathedral Frankfurt Cathedral (), officially Imperial Dome of Saint Bartholomew (), is a Roman Catholic Gothic church located in the heart of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. It is the largest religious building in the c ...

. The hospital was partly built over the Pegnitz river. It now serves as a restaurant and senior home. Aerial_Nuremberg_Heilig-Geist-Spital

History

The Heilig-Geist-Spital was built in 1339 by

Konrad Gross Konrad is a German (English equivalent: Conrad or Coonrod) given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname * Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth na ...

to care for ill, elderly and poor people.

Ulrich Knefelkamp Ulrich () is a Germanic given name derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "heritage" and ''-rih'' meaning "king, ruler". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Alamannic nob ...

: ''Über die Pflege und medizinische Behandlung von Kranken in Spitälern vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert.'' In:

Michael Matheus Michael Matheus (born 27 March 1953, in Graach) is a German historian. Life Michael Matheus graduated from the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium (Trier) in 1971. He studied history, political science and German at the universities of Trier, Bonn an ...

(Hrsg.): ''Funktions- und Strukturwandel spätmittelalterlicher Hospitäler im europäischen Vergleich.'' Stuttgart 2005 (= ''Geschichtliche Landeskunde.'' Band 56), S. 175–194, hier: S. 187.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Nuremberg Defunct hospitals in Germany 1330s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire