Xenodochium
In the early Middle Ages, a xenodochium or xenodochion was either a hostel or hospital, usually specifically for foreigners or pilgrims, although the term could refer to charitable institutions in general. The xenodochium was a church institution that first appeared in the Byzantine world. Xenodochia were more common than institutions of a more specific nature, such as the gerocomium, nosocomium and orphanotrophium. A hospital for victims of plague was called a xenodochium pestiferorum.
