The Order of Saint John: a thousand years of charitable service
- Admin
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
Will Alkass explores the origin and history of this religious foundation and describes its modern-day reincarnation
On a recent trip to London, my wife and I stumbled on a hidden gem of a little museum in Clerkenwell, the museum of the Order of Saint John. It may be a small museum but it covers the significant and interesting story of the Order of St John, from its inception as a military religious organisation.
So how did it all start?
In 638 the Christian emperors of Byzantium lost Jerusalem to the Muslim Arabs; once in control of the region, these Islamic powers made it difficult at times for Christian pilgrims to access its holy places. In 1080 a hospital was set up in Jerusalem to cater for pilgrims after their long gruelling journey, which they had undertaken either by land or sea: Blessed Gerard was the founder and first Master of this 'Hospital of St John' which was named after Saint John The Baptist.
Pope Urban II declared a Crusade to reclaim access to Jerusalem for Christianity in 1095 (Crusades were religious wars aimed at capturing and defending the Holy Land). Then in 1099 crusader armies from Western Europe captured the city of Jerusalem and a long swath of land along the Mediterranean in 1099 so pilgrims from all over Europe and beyond then started
flocking to the Holy Land in relative safety. Men and women continued working in the existing hospital, caring for people without distinction of race or faith and combining the roles of a hospice and a hostel. Known as the 'Knights Hospitallers' they were officially recognised by the church in Rome in 1113. They also took on an additional military role and became known as the 'Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem' for which they were formally recognized by Pope Paschal II and this allowed them to be both a religious and a military order encompassing their dual roles of care and combat. They gained a formidable reputation as warriors, fighting alongside King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Richard the Lionheart and working alongside the other religious military order, the Knights Templar.
So what did the Knights actually do in Jerusalem?
The Knights introduced many practices and innovations including:
providing houses along major pilgrims routes where they offered food, shelter and safety for travellers.
caring for orphans
providing hospital care for over one thousand people
running a comprehensive range of services in the community
disseminating Eastern knowledge through Western Europe
In their hospital they pioneered quarantine techniques, prioritised good nursing care, promoted diet and hygiene as essential for quick recovery, and emphasised the importance of fresh air and good healthy food.
Changes of fortune
The loss of the Holy Land again in 1291 to Islamic forces, beginning with Jerusalem and followed by other sites along the coast, was disastrous for the Hospitallers. They took immediate refuge in Cyprus where they owned rich estates including a profitable sugar factory. Soon after that they captured Rhodes where they set up their headquarters in 1310. The Knights ruled twelve islands in the area, where they built a huge hospital and strong fortifications, minted coins, traded widely, and defended the population. The islands were often attacked by Muslim forces and in turn, the Knights hired pirates to harass Muslim ships.
During this time in Rhodes, the Ottoman Empire continued to expand its realms and western Europe was shocked when these Islamic forces finally captured Christian Constantinople in 1453.
Rhodes was then to fall to the incessant attacks by the Egyptians and Ottomans in1523 so the Knights had no option but to look for a new home and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V offered them the island of Malta (for the token rent of a falcon a year)! The island had a deep water harbour but was rocky and barren and not all the Knights wanted Malta as their new home, but their Grand Master Adam convinced them and they settled there in 1530.
The knights swiftly set about doing what they do best, building  in the 1660s a large hospital to cater for patients from all over the world, with a great ward which was the longest hall in Europe. By the end of the 17th century four thousand patients were using the hospital every year. They also built a new fortified city with funds from across Europe and they named it Valletta after the Grand Master; these fortifications repulsed the greatest siege that the Ottomans launched when trying to capture the island. The Knights ruled Malta as an independent state, although they were subject to the Pope's authority. They continued to mint coins and send and receive ambassadors, adopting many of the practices of royal courts. The island became a magnet for workers and migrants, with the architecture reflecting the grandeur and status of its occupiers. Although the Order still ran hospitals, the status that it enjoyed internationally with all its trappings of wealth and fame seemed more important to some knights.
The end of rule in Malta
Following the French revolution, the order lost its land in France and along with it a big chunk of its main income, leaving them with limited resources in the face of invasions. General Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to attack Egypt in 1798, invaded Malta without much resistance. The Knights retreated to Europe, bringing an end to their rule in the Mediterranean. The Pope once again came to the rescue of the Knights, now known as Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and he gave them land in Rome where they continued to advance their cause. In 1852 the Johanniter Order was founded in Germany and in 1882 the British Order of St John opened the Saint John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.
The Maltese Cross
The Maltese Cross is one of the most recognisable and widely-seen types of crosses in Europe and has its roots going back to the Knights of St John in Jerusalem, who adopted it as their symbol in 1100s. According to some theologians and crusader scholars, the origin of the Maltese cross can be originally attributed to a group of monks who served in a hospice built to help travellers who came to visit the Holy Land. Over time these monks began helping the Knights of Saint John providing armed escorts to people travelling through non-Christian territories. Soon these "Brothers of St. John" evolved into a military order, calling themselves the "Knights of St. John", or the Knights Hospitaller; they had a flag with a Maltese cross such as the one shown. The Maltese Cross has evolved over centuries, connecting together the three organisation: the Knights of St John, the Knights Templar and the Maltese faction.
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There are different interpretations of the eight points of the cross, one of which relates them being the eight obligations of the Knights: Living in truth, Having faith, Showing mercy, Repenting, Having humility, Being modest, Withstanding persecution and Loving justice.
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The Knights in England
As the Order grew, they were given lands across England and Europe. These properties provided food, money and recruits for their work in the Mediterranean. In England, the Clerkenwell Priory was founded in1140 just outside the walls of the City of London; three other large religious communities were also located there:The Priory of St John with a church and a crypt, The Nunnery, and the Charterhouse. Historically, the name Clerkenwell comes from a spring where parish clerks from the City of London came to watch religious plays. Three medieval monasteries existed on this site but when they were closed down their buildings became houses for noble families. Through their charitable work they received generous donations and their power, influence and wealth grew enormously. In Europe and the Holy Land many of the grand buildings of the Knights still exist. When the Knights Templar were dissolved in the 1312 their lands were passed to the order of St John, yet further increasing their wealth and power.
The Crypt was the first structure that the order built on this London site, followed by the church which was enlarged later on. The priors who administered the Priory had very important roles, both religious and political. At its height, the Priory included the Gate, the Church and the 12th century crypt. Few Knights lived here, but many would pass through on their way to the Holy Land, Cyprus or Malta. However, when King Henry VIII became head of The Church of England in 1534, he began to close religious houses throughout England and Wales. In 1540 the Order was the last of the Roman Catholic Orders to be disbanded and all their possessions passed to the King. He used the priory as a store both for his supplies when he went hunting and for times of war. He then gave the priory to his daughter Mary Tudor to use as a palace, but when her younger half-brother became King Edward VI the church was knocked down and most of the material was used to build a house nearby. Mary, on subsequently becoming the Catholic Queen of England, briefly restored the Order but she died a year later, after which her Protestant sister Queen Elizabeth had the order in England finally dissolved and the site became the Crown's property. However, the order continued to function elsewhere in Europe unaffected by these events, and their priority became the defence of Malta, their stronghold in the Mediterranean.
Back in Clerkenwell, the priory and the surrounding area known as St John's Square continued to flourish, while the Gate became The Old Jerusalem Tavern, where many artists and writers came to meet in the pub, including Charles Dickens. In 1874, Sir Edmond Lechmere, a member of the modern British Order of Saint John, bought St John's Gate and renovated it. From here, the work of the Order and the newly-formed Saint John Ambulance (see below) developed around the world. The Headquarters of both of these organisations are housed next door to The Gate.
Saint John's Ambulance Service
Britain was one of the first countries to become industrialised and by the19th century many workplaces such as railways and coal mines were very dangerous and unsafe. Workers were often seriously injured but rarely saw a doctor in time. Members of the British Order wanted to improve the situation and to revive their ethos, so in 1877 they set up The Saint John Ambulance Association, and in so doing revolutionised health care. This movement was assisted by many thinkers such as Peter Shepherd, who was the first to spread medical knowledge to the public through First Aid Classes. Volunteers formed a trained uniformed network called the Saint John Ambulance Brigade which helped accident victims with first aid and transport, both day to day and during big events. During World Wars One and Two, the Order organised medical and voluntary services.
In 2007 the British order opened the Anabta Eye Centre in the West Bank, Palestine, and all around the world the St John Ambulance has developed many similar services. Today, it is an affiliated charitable organisation in most Commonwealth countries, where it provides emergency medical services, education and consumables. St John organisations are primarily staffed by and funded through local commercial endeavours, government contracts or donations, and are supported by the International Secretariat of The Order of Saint John which is based in London. During Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Ceremony in 1953 eight thousand members of the Association from many countries were deployed as first aid workers, and three hundred members were awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Coronation Medal.
This charitable organisation which was formed nearly one thousand years ago has, in spite of all the turmoil, disruptions, disasters and changes in its fortunes and locations, managed to keep its ethos and to move with the times; it has often led the way, both inventing and developing new approaches, while all the time advancing their original motto of helping the sick and poor whatever creed or colour, wherever and whenever they may be.
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