GRAND PRIORY OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS
Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem
Grand Master: H.E. Don Francesco de Borbon Graf von Hardenberg
50th Grand Master
Welcome
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (MHOSLJ) is one of the orders of chivalry formally established in Jerusalem during the Crusader Period. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291, it established its central government in France being given protection from the French Royal House. The turmoil of the 19th century engendered by the French Revolution forced the MHOSLJ to become a secular organization enjoying the protection of the Melkite Patriarchy and the Spanish Royal House of Bourbon.
The Order has always been dedicated to two ideals: to give aid to those suffering from the dreadful disease of leprosy and to fight to promote, preserve and maintain the Christian faith and the teachings of Christ and His Holy Church..
Today the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an international self-governing and independent body, with a formal legal setup. The Order is nonpolitical, ecumenical or nondenominational. Its membership is open to all men and women who are practicing members of the Christian faith in good standing within their particular denomination. It is made up of approximately five thousand members in the five continents.
The Grand Priory of the Maltese Islands dissociates itself from other unofficial associations or groupings in the Maltese Islands calling themselves by the name of Saint Lazarus and using similar insignia.
Atavis et Armis
© 2019 by Grand Priory of the Maltese Islands, Military & Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem