History
From Jerusalem to the Present
A hospice for pilgrims in Jerusalem gives rise to a community devoted to the care of the sick, a tradition associated with Blessed Gerard.
With the bull Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, Pope Paschal II takes the Hospital under the protection of the Holy See.
After the fall of Acre the Hospitallers move to Cyprus and then to Rhodes, developing their presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
Granted Malta in 1530, the Hospitallers govern the islands for over two centuries, leaving Valletta as a lasting architectural legacy.
Napoleon's forces take Malta. The loss of the territorial seat opens a period of profound institutional transformation.
Tsar Paul I is elected Grand Master by knights in St Petersburg; Russian priories are established, and Alexander I later extends imperial protection.
Different institutional developments emerge, accompanied by differing interpretations of historical succession.
The O.S.J.'s own institutional history, statutes and stated mission, as presented by the organization.
O.S.J. institutional interpretation