Lazaretto / Lazaret

A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be:

• ships permanently at anchor,
• isolated islands,
• or mainland buildings.

Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation. A leper colony administered by a Christian religious order was often called a lazar house, after the parable of Lazarus the Beggar.

The first lazaret was established by Venice in 1403 on Santa Maria di Nazareth (also called "Nazaretum" or "Lazaretum", today "Lazzaretto Vecchio"), an island in the Venetian Lagoon .45°24′22″N 12°21′36″E / 45.406°N 12.36°E / 45.406; 12.36. Additionally there is Lazzaretto Nuovo, also in the lagoon.

See also: Quarantine