The Order
Identity, Tradition and Vocation
The Sovereign Order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem – Knights of Malta – O.S.J. identifies with the spiritual and chivalric heritage of the ancient Hospitallers and seeks to preserve its ideals in contemporary society.
01
Identity and Tradition
The O.S.J. presents itself as an international chivalric organization of Christian inspiration and interconfessional vocation, gathering men and women who recognise themselves in the Hospitaller ideal.
02
Hospitaller Inspiration
From the hospice of Jerusalem onward, the Hospitallers made care for the sick and the pilgrim the heart of their vocation. The O.S.J. takes this charism of hospitality as its reference point.
03
Chivalric Principles
Integrity, loyalty, humility and service: chivalry understood not as privilege but as a personal ethical commitment towards others.
04
Contemporary Institutional Vision
The O.S.J. seeks to translate its heritage into present-day engagement in culture, education, dialogue and solidarity, within a transparent institutional framework.
Motto and Symbolism
PRO FIDE, PRO UTILITATE HOMINUM
For the faith, for the service of humanity.
The white eight-pointed cross on a red field recalls the Hospitaller tradition: its four arms are traditionally read as the cardinal virtues, its eight points as the Beatitudes. Crown, laurel and the ship emblem complete the insignia of the O.S.J.