After the First Crusade ended in 1102, the order began to take on a more military role, especially under Raymond du Puy, who led the group starting in 1120. Between 1135 and 1154, the Church granted the Knights Hospitaller full independence from local religious leaders.
As the order grew stronger, it began to manage most hospitals in the Holy Land and built new ones in Europe, including one of the earliest in Utrecht in 1122 CE. The main hospital in Jerusalem was especially famous—it was so large it could hold over 1,000 patients. Even Saladin, the Muslim leader who took Jerusalem in 1187, respected the work of the Hospitallers and gave them a year to close the hospital and move the patients safely.
To support their work, the Knights Hospitaller set up command posts (called “commanderies”) across Europe. These posts helped bring in money, supplies, and new members. By the late 1100s, the order had become known for providing strong, skilled knights who were extremely helpful to the Crusader armies and new Christian kingdoms in the Middle East.
In Canada, the Order was first introduced in 1829 when a regimental lodge attached to troops stationed at London, Canada West (afterwards Ontario) was instituted.
The Order was reconstituted in its modern form in Canada in 1965.
Dating back to the Middle Ages, the Knights Hospitaller was a Catholic military organization. The group was officially founded in 1113 CE and was initially known as the Knights of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. They were originally based in Jerusalem but later moved to Rhodes in the early 1300s and then to Malta in 1530. After each move, they were renamed after their new location, becoming known as the Knights of Rhodes and later the Knights of Malta.
The order was first created to provide lodging and medical care for Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Over time, it evolved into a powerful military force that played a significant role in the Crusades across Europe and the Middle East. The Knights Hospitaller wore a white eight-pointed cross (also known as a Maltese cross) on a black background.
The Order’s actual origins go back even earlier, around 1080 CE, when merchants from Amalfi, Italy, started a hospital in Jerusalem. The hospital had separate sections for men and women and served not only Christians but also some non-Christian patients. It was managed by Benedictine monks from the Latin Church of Santa Maria Latina. In 1113 CE, Pope Paschal II officially recognized the group as a religious order, and Blessed Gerard became its first leader.
The Order was first named after John the Almsgiver, a 7th-century Christian leader, but later rededicated to the more widely known St John the Baptist.
Are there other Orders of St John? Yes, there are many Hospitaller Orders, and Orders of St John in existence. All are descended from the ancient Knights of St John. These Orders (both in Canada and around the world) also perpetuate the history of the Knights Hospitaller.
We respect the legitimate claims by other Orders to the historical and spiritual links of the original Knights Hospitallers granted Letters Patent in Jerusalem in 1113 A.D.
Rather than spend our time debating provenance, we have instead chosen to concentrate on helping people in our community.