Religious and Chivalrous Orders
The Orders of Religion and Chivalry, communities of knights grouped around a grand master in the service of an ideal, first appeared during the Crusades.
The sovereign military and hospital order of Saint-John of Jerusalem, known today as the Order of Malta, is one of the rare orders to have crossed the centuries
The sovereign military and hospital order of Saint-John of Jerusalem, known today as the Order of Malta, is one of the rare orders to have crossed the centuries
The sovereign military and hospital order of Saint-John of Jerusalem
Created in the wake of the First Crusade, the Order’s role was military, religious and hospital up until the disappearance of the Latin states in the Middle East.
The Knights guarded the seas for more than two hundred fifty years all while pursuing their hospital vocation; they first retreated to Cyprus, then to Rhodes and finally to Malta in 1530.
Bonaparte drove them out in 1798. The Order was able to settle in Rome in 1834 and its influence has continued to grow ever since. Today its functions remain exclusively charitable and hospital.
The insignia of the Order is a white cross with eight points. At first it was made of cloth and sown on to the knights’ coats. The enamel and gold jewelled version of the cross appeared in the 16th century and was not codified until the end of the 19th century.
The Knights guarded the seas for more than two hundred fifty years all while pursuing their hospital vocation; they first retreated to Cyprus, then to Rhodes and finally to Malta in 1530.
Bonaparte drove them out in 1798. The Order was able to settle in Rome in 1834 and its influence has continued to grow ever since. Today its functions remain exclusively charitable and hospital.
The insignia of the Order is a white cross with eight points. At first it was made of cloth and sown on to the knights’ coats. The enamel and gold jewelled version of the cross appeared in the 16th century and was not codified until the end of the 19th century.
