Hôpital de La Grave (La Grave Hospital), Toulouse

Grave (French greve) refers to the color of the sand along the banks of the Garonne where the hospital was built. There has always been a hospital at this location since 1197. The hospital was first established to treat victims of the plague. There were many plagues to come, including the "Black Death" of 1349. The record of treatment was spotty at best.

In the hopes of success from above the name of the hospital was changed to Saint Sebastien. One of Saint Sebastien's attributes or powers was anti-plague. This didn't work as hoped. In 1628 everybody, including the staff, died. The City took advantage of this to disinfect the hospital. Not only that, the Pope renamed it for Saint Joseph.

To get to the La Grave Hospital, one may cross over the Saint Pierre Bridge to the courtyard and the Chapel Saint Joseph. The Chapel Saint Joseph was built of red brick in the 18th century. Its red walls may be seen from almost any place in the City. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of carpenters. The guilds set up trade schools here.