The Santa Maria della Scala (also referred to as the Hospital, Ospedale, and Spedale) is located in Siena, Italy. Now a museum, it used to be an important civic hospital dedicated to caring for abandoned children, the poor, the sick, and pilgrims. Financial income came partially from bequests and donations of various sorts from the citizens of Siena, particularly the wealthy. The head of the hospital was the rector and, under him lay brothers kept things running.[1]