Joan Gilabert Jofré

Joan Gilabert Jofré (1364–1417), also known as Padre Jofré or Pare Jofré, was a member of the Christian religious Order of Mercy and the founder of what is claimed to be the first psychiatric care institution in Europe, in Valencia, Crown of Aragon, in medieval Spain.

Joan Gilabert was born in Valencia on June 23, 1364. Having studied in Lleida, he returned to Valencia where he joined the Order of Mercy in 1370 and entered the Monastery of El Puig. He was ordained priest in 1375 and became a preacher. He eventually became Superior of the Order in Valencia. From 1391 he dedicated himself to the redemption of captives, for which he had royal privileges. A commitment to the poor led him to establish institutions to care for the mentally ill, abandoned children, and indigent pilgrims. After his death, he became a subject of religious veneration and he has been proposed for canonization as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.