Xenodochium

For the genus of moth, see Zenodochium.

In the early Middle Ages, a xenodochium or xenodoch(e)ion (from Ancient Greek ξενοδοχεῖον, ksenodokheion; place for strangers, inn, guesthouse) was a type of hostel or hospital, usually specifically for foreigners or pilgrims, but the term could refer to charitable institutions in general. Xenodochia were more common than institutions of a more specific nature, such as the gerocomium (a place for the old), nosocomium (for the sick) and orphanotrophium (for orphans). A hospital for victims of plague was called a xenodochium pestiferorum (guesthouse of the plague-carriers).