Juan Mateos
| Juan Mateos | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gibraltar |
| Died | 1594 Gibraltar |
| Resting place | Parish church of St. Mary the Crowned (now the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned) |
| Residence | Upper Town, Gibraltar |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Citizenship | Spanish |
| Occupation |
Merchant Innkeeper |
| Known for | Founding Gibraltar's first hospital |
| Home town | Gibraltar |
Juan Mateos (Gibraltar, ? - id., 1594) was a wealthy inhabitant of Gibraltar during the Spanish period. He was remembered for being the founder of Gibraltar's first hospital, which subsequently became the old St Bernard's Hospital.
Juan Mateos was a Spanish innkeeper from Gibraltar. He ran an inn at Albalate, in Gibraltar's municipal area, the Campo de Gibraltar. In his youth he was active in defending Gibraltar against the 1540 raid of the corsairs from the Barbary Coast and became famous when he took part in the resistance of one of their landings, killing one of the Berber leaders. Mateos later took advantage of his reputation becoming a successful merchant, amassing a considerable amount of money. He later became the official "Dispenser of Royal Licences", therefore having many opportunities to increase his fortune.
In 1567 Mateos suddenly changed his way of life by converting his large house in the Upper Town, on the slopes of The Rock, into a 20-bed , and putting all his fortune towards running the hospital. It was the result of seeing the difficult situation of the poor sick people in the town, and also of the miserable sight of the many ill sailors that arrived in Gibraltar after returning from the New World (many of whom suffered from a virulent form of syphilis, a disease that had had its European outbreak just a century before with ineffective treatment). Mateos' spent almost nothing on himself wearing only sackcloth and eating frugally. He just retained a small room in his former house for himself. For twenty four years, Mateos devoted his time and personal services in support of the charitable institution he had founded. When his fortune was over and he run into debt, he began to beg asking for alms to keep the hospital running. He became well known in the surrounding countryside, with patients coming to him from far and wide. Mateos eventually earned himself a saintly reputation.
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Wikipedia