Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, sometimes simply referred to as Daughters of Charity, is a Society of Apostolic Life for women within the Catholic Church.
It was founded in 1633 and is devoted to serving Jesus Christ through corporal and spiritual works of mercy to benefit persons in poverty; its members take simple, private, annual vows.
They are credited with the origin of the hospice philosophy in France in the 17th century.

Connor, S R. (1998). Hospice: Practice, Pitfalls, and Promise. Taylor & Francis. p. 5.