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Frères de la Charité de l'Ordre de Saint-John-de-Dieu
One of the more important requirements in colonial Louisbourg was adequate hospital care. In the 18th century health care was generally entrusted to the church and in Louisbourg the Fréres de la Charité were selected to care for the sick and injured. The order was founded in Spain in the 16th century by Saint John of God. Each brother was dedicated to the care of the sick and infirm, and took vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and hospitality.
The Brothers of Charity first arrived in Île Royale in 1716 and were based in Port Dauphin, the colonial capital at that time. By 1719 Louisbourg was the new capital and all the Brothers were brought together here. They used a surplus government building as the hospital until 1730 with the completion of the Hôpital du Roi. During the 1740's, Louisbourg was usually served by five Frères de la Charity: a superior, a surgeon, a dispenser (pharmacist), a nurse and a sacristan.
The Hôpital du Roi was the second largest building in Louisbourg and was a much needed addition to the growing population of the town. The new hospital was better suited to serving the medical needs of the colonists than the previous hospital, which had been located a distance from the construction area of the fortifications. This building had beds for 100 patients, its own chapel, apothecary, bakery, kitchen, laundry, latrines, and morgue.
The Brothers endured difficult years in Louisbourg and though they were viewed by their contemporaries as conscientious and skilled, there arose some controversy concerning the quality of medical care they offered. Most of the criticism concerning the Brothers related more to the conditions that existed within the hospital than to any failings on their part, with the exception of the surgeon who was described as "not very capable". The royally operated hospital was inadequately provisioned, infested with vermin, cold from lack of firewood, and offered food that was worse than in the barracks.
During the 1730s the brothers began receiving some of the furnishings and supplies they needed for the hospital and consequently their reputation as healers became more favorable. One of the largest problems facing the Frères de la Charité was a lack of skilled staff in the hospital. Their workload, especially during the 1750's, was immense and in 1756 four more Brothers joined the colony bringing the total to seven. The year 1757, however, saw the deaths of five Brothers leaving only two inexperienced Frères to run the hospital. In 1758 Louisbourg welcomed the arrival of six Brothers of Charity and four servant nurses, whose skills would be put to the test during the final siege of Louisbourg.
In 1938, 180 years after the last Frères de la Charité had left the island, a monument was raised near the ruins of the town, to commemorate the Brothers of Charity who had served at Louisbourg.