Historical Summary S.O.S.J.J.

 

Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem

WORLD CONFEDERATION

 

A Brief History of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem *World Confederation*

The  S.O.S.J.J.  900 years history fills books, encyclopedia, manuscripts, and each way to transfer, describe, build, etc. Nine centuries of history. Sword and works of mercy.

The order was born in that way, from the first crusade of the 1099: with Hospitals in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land and across the routes of pilgrims. And warrior monks to protect of these oasis, from Saracens and raiders. It was a 7 centuries of history of the order (Cyprus, Rodi, Malta) until the expulsion of the Knights of Malta, on 1798, by Napoleon.

It’s appropriate to say “the deposition of weapons” was finally declared two centuries ago, mainly with the elimination of the word “military” in the original name of the order, maybe reviewing some positions which are not appropriate anymore because of the new systems of  information and internet, winning the “spiritual sovereignty” with real unconditional and peaceful actions.

Whereby after the ending of the military actions, the order has to return to his ancient vocation of assistance to fight again against the diseases, misery, ignorance, the lack of values and the moral disorder. If we want to pretend to “make” the History of the Sovereign Order we can appear presumptuous, so we just limit to give some cognitive “flash” and particularly to offer real and incontestable information about our origins “after” 1798, the historic continuity to nowadays, according statutes and rules “before 1798”, etc.

Brief History:

On one thousand year, Jerusalem was occupied by Saracens. A group of philanthropists amalphitan navigators, around 1020-1025, got from the Caliph Dehara Ladimellah the grant to build in Jerusalem a district with an “hospital” for sick people and pilgrims, which always were victims of violence, robberies and persecutions. During the years, the community grows until become a real halfway house where “the hospital monks” of Jerusalem, cure and welcome all pilgrims, of each race and religion. In those years, in these places of prayer and pilgrimage, the raiders attack the wayfarers, that’s why the monks, to help the victims and themselves of the robberies, they learnt how to use the weapons, so they became themselves “warrior monks” to defend weak, poor, and afflicted people, orphans, and widows.

The amalphitans stayed near the “Hospital” of Jerusalem and, at the same time, was managed by Benedictines, mainly by Friar Gerardo Sasso ( about that fact the historic studies are not agree, like G.G. Napione who identifies in Friar Gerardo of Tonco (or Gerard Tum), feudatory from Asti who participated to the first crusade, others, like the amalphitan Giuseppe Gargano, exactly Gerardo de Sasso with paternal house in Scala, at the present village monastery, (Amalfi del Monte)). Constituted the Brotherhood of Saint John, Friar Gerardo became the first Grand Master of the “monks in arms” that support the crusaders and fight with them. On 1099, at the end of the first crusade (1095-1099), Goffredo di Buglione conquered again Jerusalem, next year after his death, the brother Baldovino became the first King of Jerusalem. The “Sacred domus” had its best moment and started to support the traders, pilgrims and that brotherhood of “friars” which started to grow up and have their own characteristics and institutions in all saint places and work to support the crusaders. According to the papal bull, “Pie postulation voluntatis”, on February the 15, 1113, and following acts, Pope Pasquale II determined the institution of the Saint john of Jerusalem hospital, Sovereign and independent from every civil and ecclesiastical authority. The little association crossed the Palestine borders and diffused in all the Christianity where, thanks to the papal authorization, could receive donations and found houses. After the death of Friar Gerardo, on 1120, Friar Raimondo du Puy, a noble from Provence got the leadership of the Sovereign Order. He completely changed the setting, the strategy and the purpose of the institution. The defense of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the birth of the Knight spirit are the reason of the changing of “friars” in “equites et servientes armigeri”. By will of Innocenzo III, at the beginning of the assistant work, it added military features. An original fusion between military force to defend the Christianity and the hospital charity to defend life. The Knights of Saint John honor the “red drape with the white Cross at the center  and adopted as emblem the octagonal white cross”, fight to defend weak and helpless people, the pilgrims, the rights and justice. They are related by the votes of obedience, poverty and chastify. The chaplains ensure the alms, and the friars cure, comfort and bury the unfortunate.

They are present with weapons to the crusades where they show their values, courage and fidelity to the Christian values. The fall of Jerusalem and all Palestine by Turkish could not started a negative moment for the Order thank to the “Domus” which rest like occident islands in the far oriental world.

The generous hope to conquer again the saint places, the Order (1291) establishes to Cyprus where get from King Enrico Lusignano the city of Limisso. At the sea will perform the legendary epic of the Order.