The Psychiatric Hospital of Conxo, in Santiago de Compostela (Praza Martín Herrera), was the first psychiatric hospital in Galicia. It was established thanks to the initiative of the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Miguel Payá y Rico, who adapted an unused part of the Monastery of Conxo to care for people with mental disorders. The hospital opened on July 19, 1885, and remained the only asylum in Galicia until 1953.
As demand grew, a board of trustees with private shareholders was created in 1889 to help fund a new building. Members included the medical director Timoteo Sánchez Freire, banker Olimpio Pérez Fernández, José García Mouriño, and Juana Blanco Navarrete. Together with the church, they managed the hospital until 1969. In 1902, the new building was completed, following a cloister-style layout with inner courtyards and a central chapel. It featured a large marble staircase and a skylight, giving the institution an impressive appearance.
Until 1972, living conditions depended on patients’ financial means. In 1920, first-class patients paid 12 pesetas per day for private rooms and full meals, while fifth-class patients paid 2 pesetas for shared dormitories and a single meal. Below them were charity-supported patients, the “acogidos.”1 Wealthier patients sometimes used the hospital as a place of rest or social refuge, kept separate from other patients and receiving special care.
In 1969, the Diputación de A Coruña took over the hospital, carried out renovations, increased staff, and introduced new approaches to psychiatric care. In 1993, it became part of the Galician Health Service (SERGAS), beginning its modern phase of management and care.
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Bibliography:
- Carro Otero, X. (1998). Materiais para unha historia da medicina galega. Tomo I. Consellería de Sanidade e Servicios Sociais (63-79)
- González Fernández, E., & Simón Lorda, D. (2001). Una historia de la psiquiatría gallega en el siglo XX. Archivos de Psiquiatría, 64(2), 101–136