The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
: ''Ordo Militaris et Hospitalis Sancti Lazari Hierosolymitani'') is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
fraternal order
A fraternal order is a fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cu ...
statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...
d in 1910 by a council of
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, initially under the protection of
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...
Cyril VIII Jaha
Cyril VIII Geha (or ''Jeha''), (November 26, 1840 – January 11, 1916) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1902 until 1916. He was the last Melkite Catholic patriarch of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman era.
Life
Geha was bo ...
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
.
[de Jandriac. Les chevaliers Hospitaliers de Saint Lazare de Jerusalem et de Notre Dame de la Merci. Rivista Araldica, November 1913, XI(11):p.679–683] In the 1920s it expanded its jurisdiction enrolling members from other countries in Europe and in the Americas. It re-established the office of grand master in 1935 linking the office to members of the
Spanish royal family
The Spanish royal family consists of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, their children (Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain), and Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace ...
. It assumed an ecumenical dimension in the 1950s to expand its membership to individuals of other Trinitarian Christian denominations in British Commonwealth countries.
Owing to an internal
schism
A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
in 1969, the order became divided into two competing "obediences", known as the Malta Obedience and the Paris Obedience. In 2008, these rival obediences were reconciled and reunited into a single order once again, led by the late Grand Master
Carlos Gereda y de Borbón, and with the spiritual protection of the (now former) Patriarch
Gregorius III Laham
Gregory III Laham, Basilian Salvatorian Order, B.S. ( ar, غريغوريوس الثالث لحام; la, Gregorius III Lahamus; born Lutfy Laham, December 15, 1933, in Darayya, Syria), Emeritus Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Patriarch ...
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
. Unfortunately, during the period of separation, the Paris Obedience had experienced further schisms, with the creation in 1995 of the United Grand Priories group of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus (led at that time by John Baron Dudley von Sydow von Hoff), and in 2004 of the Orléans Obedience (led at that time by
Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans under the protection of
Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris). The latter group then itself experienced schism in 2010, to create the Jerusalem Obedience, led by
Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma
Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma ( es, link=no, Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón-Parma y Borbón-Busset; it, Sisto Enrico di Borbone Parma; born 22 July 1940), known as Enrique V by supporters, is considered Regent of Spain by some Carlists wh ...
.
Claims to regularity
The modern Order of Saint Lazarus claims to maintain the spirit and history of the medieval
Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care beca ...
and claims a historical continuity to the French branch of the medieval order through the 17th to 19th century
Royal Military and Hospitaller Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem united under the ''
fons honorum'' of the Holy See until the publication of the Papal Bull ''De Equestribus Pontificus'' by Pope
Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...
in 1905 which defined the future pontifical orders without formally abolishing any of the other previously extant orders. The promulgation of the 1905 bull led the Council of the Order of Saint Lazarus to re-organize itself and become secularized under the protection of the Melkite Patriarchy formally statuting these changes in 1910. The basis of the current Order of St Lazarus's origin, and the authority for its statuting in 1910, has attracted controversy.
In 1608/1609, the French branch of the medieval Order of St Lazarus was canonically linked with the newly pontifically created
Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, forming the
Royal Military and Hospitaller Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem united under the patronage of the reigning French king. This administrative inter-relationship between these two orders, both under the ''fons honorum'' of the Holy See, was canonically recognised in 1668 by a bull issued by the Holy See legate for France, Cardinal Louis de Vendôme, and eventually by Pope
Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700.
H ...
in 1695. The united orders continued to enjoy royal favour until the turmoil of the
French revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
(1789–1799) put an end to formal admission ceremonies to the
Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care beca ...
, though King Louis XVIII, previously grand master of the order admitted a number of knights while in exile. With the Bourbon Restoration, King Louis XVIII and his successor King Charles X both served as protectors of the order which continued to be function under the management of a council of officers.
In 1831, the order lost its royal protection but was not abolished, since being originally a papal-established order only the
pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
could exclusively abolish the order by a specific ''contrarius actus''. This has never been forthcoming and hence the regulations relating to the order fall under the precepts of canon law which allows for an order to become extinct 100 years after the deaths of its last member. The last living member admitted before the French Revolution died in 1856. Hence, according to
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...
, the order would have only become extinct in 1956. It has been argued that this itself was sufficient to allow the existence of the order right through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Contemporary documentation confirms that the order was active philanthropically in the mid-nineteenth century in Haifa; while definite admissions were made in the late nineteenth century apparently by Pope
Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
who used the award to reward his
Zouaves
The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...
supporters.
The historical events following the loss of French Royal patronage in 1830 can only be left to traditional history and conjecture. It is claimed that in the 1840s, the Council of Officers of the order sought patronage from the Melkite patriarchy. Tradition holds that this reorganization came in 1841 under the aegis of Francophile Melkite Patriarch
Maximos III. The evidence for this, albeit quite plausible, is circumstantial due to the destruction of pertinent records during the 1860 Druze/Marionite Mount Lebanon conflagration and further ruination of Patriarchal papers at Al-Ain in the 1983 civil war.
Nevertheless, a reorganization indisputably occurred under Patriarch Cyril VIII who became the order's protector for a while in 1911 as did later patriarchs——all safely before the canonical extinction year of 1957. The debate about the historicity of the 1841 Melkite protection is moot, as the Declaration of Kevelaer in 2012 issued by Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, the previous Melkite patriarch granting authority, confirms, by affidavit, the 1841 advent of the Melkite protection.
The 1910 reorganization is stated by the order to have been within the framework of the Roman Canonical continuation of the order (Canon 120 §1 and §2) which was never abolished by the Vatican. Consequently, St. Lazarus continued as a creature of canon law for 100 years after the death of the last knight admitted during the ''ancien regime'', the Marquis des Gouttes, who passed in 1857 assuring the order's continuation until 1957, arguably buying time to find a protector and to reorganize. It is relevant that no pope has ever ordered a Melkite patriarch to desist in this protection of the Order of St. Lazarus (which popes had previously done for other orders) and Peter van Duren emphasized that "only a papal interdict against the order of St. Lazarus or the Patriarch could have prevented him
ny Patriarch
NY most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
NY, Ny or ny may also refer to:
Places
* North Yorkshire, ...
from agreeing to become the spiritual Protector of the Order".
[Van Duren, Peter Bander. (1995). Orders of knighthood and of merit: the pontifical, religious and secularized Catholic-founded orders and their relationship to the Apostolic See. Gerrards Cross : Colin Smythe publishers] A grand magistracy was re-established in 1935 with the appointment of
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre ( es, Francisco de Paula de Borbón y La Torre; 16 January 1882 – 6 December 1952) was a Spanish aristocrat, military officer ( Captaincy General) and member of parliament in Spain. He was a cousin of King Al ...
.
Notably, no matter if the modern establishment is to be attributed to 1841 under the patriarch, to 1910 under the council of officers, or to 1935 under the re-erected grand magistracy of
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre ( es, Francisco de Paula de Borbón y La Torre; 16 January 1882 – 6 December 1952) was a Spanish aristocrat, military officer ( Captaincy General) and member of parliament in Spain. He was a cousin of King Al ...
- whether considered
laicized
In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the loss of clerical state (commonly referred to as laicization, dismissal, defrocking, and degradation) is the removal of a bishop, priest, or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy.
The ...
or not - the enact would arguably not strictly be contrary to canon law.
Present legal status
The Military & Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem has since its reunification striven to change its structure to suit the modern world organizing itself into a formal legal foundation to better function within the framework requirements demanded of associations and non-governmental organizations by the modern world. Since 2005, the order has operated as a registered company in the United Kingdom defined as an unincorporated or voluntary association constituted under the constitution adopted in 2006. In 2014, steps were undertaken to set up a private foundation to serve as a non-profit organization regulated by Spanish legal provisions. The International Hospitaller Foundation of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem serves to coordinate worldwide initiatives involving assistance, healthcare, attending the sick and needy, and promoting humanism and Christian values carried out by organizations of different nationalities under the banner of St Lazarus. To further ensure a legally-sound internationally functioning organization, the order has encouraged its various jurisdictions to ensure their legal status within the country they function and enter into a memorandum of association with the International Hospitaller Foundation.
International Commission on Order of Chivalry
The modern order is recognized by many
ecclesial
An ecclesial community is, in the terminology used by the Catholic Church, a Christian religious group that does not meet the Catholic definition of a "Church". Although the word "ecclesial" itself means "church" or "gathering" in a political sen ...
,
royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
, noble, princely and non reigning royal dignitaries. Nevertheless, private, self-appointed, non-governmental bodies such as the
Académie Internationale d'Héraldique
L'Académie Internationale d'Héraldique (known in English as the International Academy Of Heraldry) was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. Admission is by election, and the ...
,
International Academy of Genealogy, and the
International Commission on Orders of Chivalry maintain that the modern Order of Saint Lazarus is only a revived self-styled order.
The International Commission on Orders of Chivalry (ICOC) does not include the MHOLJ on its ''Provisional List of Orders'' (2010) arguing that:
Accordingly, in France, the purported mother country of Saint Lazarus, the modern organization has been prohibited from using the designation ‘order’ and wearing chivalric insignia. Finally, the order was originally a religious foundation, established by
papal bull and the grant of various privileges by successive popes, and the decision to allow the order to become extinct was not challenged by the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
which has repeatedly condemned the modern revival. Saint Lazarus, which thus cannot be considered an
order of chivalry
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concept ...
, carries out praiseworthy charitable, humanitarian activity producing numerous contributions to social works and therefore it might be included in a category of organisations inspired by chivalry.
Roman Catholic Church
The "condemnations" mentioned by the ICOC above were unofficially published in the ''
L'Osservatore Romano
''L'Osservatore Romano'' (, 'The Roman Observer') is the daily newspaper of Vatican City State which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world. It is owned by the Holy See but is not ...
'', possibly in contravention of canon law, as the MHOLJ existed as Canonical entity until 1956.
Although no longer a Roman Catholic order of knighthood, it is, in many nations and sub-national jurisdictions, by canon law, considered to be an
association of the faithful
In the Catholic Church, an association of the Christian faithful or simply association of the faithful (Latin: ''consociationes christifidelium'') sometimes called a public association of the faithful, is a group of baptized persons, clerics or l ...
. Such is the case, for example, with the order in the Czech Republic, Poland and France.
However the order's modern ecumenical structure today makes it extraneous to
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...
, though since
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
, in the spirit of promoting
ecumenism
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
, the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
has promoted the right of recognition to institutions that do not fall strictly under the precepts of canon law. The Holy See has repeatedly felt the need to clarify the fact that the Order of Saint Lazarus no longer falls under its jurisdiction.
It is however pertinent to point out that the Holy See does not recognize any order but its own equestrian orders, or those under its protection (e.g., the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
and the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...
). Consequently, even such undeniably ancient and legitimate house orders as the
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCG) ( it, Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio, es, Sagrada Orden Militar Constantiniana de San Jorge), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order ...
or the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...
, among very many others, are not formally recognized by the Vatican.
Internationally, the order's purpose is "care and assistance of the sick and the poor, and to the support and defense of the
Christian faith
Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the Major religious groups, world's ...
and the traditions and principles of Christian
chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...
."
Some 5,000 members are divided under three grand magistries with strongly debated historical claims, yet carrying out "praiseworthy charitable, humanitarian activity".
These widely lauded Hospitaller functions have led observers, like Augustan Society's Chivalry Committee chair Jean-Paul Gauthier de la Martiniere to declare that St. Lazarus is certainly "much more than a self-styled order."
In a note of clarification from the
Secretariat of State, headed by the
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae,
it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...
, the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
has made an official statement clarifying that it only recognizes its own orders:
Notwithstanding the controversy, ever since the statutes of 1910, a number of prominent Catholic
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
s, including cardinals, have acted as
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...
s in different positions of the order. The mainline united order enjoys as Spiritual Protector the
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...
of
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
,
Youssef Absi. On 27 May 2012, the previous Patriarch and Spiritual Protector of the order
Gregory III Laham
Gregory III Laham, Basilian Salvatorian Order, B.S. ( ar, غريغوريوس الثالث لحام; la, Gregorius III Lahamus; born Lutfy Laham, December 15, 1933, in Darayya, Syria), Emeritus Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Patriarch ...
signed a declaration in
Kevelaer
Kevelaer (Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany a ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, confirming the continuity of the order (under the now united Malta-Paris obedience) under the Patriarchs of Antioch since his predecessor Patriarch
Maximos III Mazloum
Maximos III Michael Mazloum, (born in November 1779 in Aleppo, present Syria – died in August 1855) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1833 until 1855. As patriarch he reformed church administration and bolstered clerical e ...
had accepted the role of Spiritual Protector of the order in 1841.
Previously,
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
Basil Hume
George Basil Hume OSB OM (2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of W ...
was a member of the order in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
as is his successor
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
Cormac Murphy O'Connor
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He s ...
. The Catholic
Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal
George Pell
George Pell (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and 2019, and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers between 2013 ...
is a former national
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...
and member of the order in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. The present Ecclesiastical Grand Prior of the order is Archbishop
Michele Pennisi EGCLJ, the
Archbishop of Monreale
The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Monreale ( la, Archidioecesis Montis Regalis) is in Sicily. As of 2000 it is no longer a metropolitan see, and is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Palermo.[László Paskai
László Paskai, O.F.M. (8 May 1927 – 17 August 2015) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, He served as the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest from 1987 to 2002.
He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 ...]
, former
Primate of Hungary, from 2004 to 2012. His successor was Cardinal
Dominik Duka as Spiritual Protector and
Chaplain General from 2012 to 2021. From August 2022, Spiritual Protector and Chaplain General of the Orléans obedience is Cardinal
Antoine Kambanda
Antoine Kambanda (born 10 November 1958) is a Rwandan prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Archbishop of Kigali since January 2019. He had been Bishop of Kibungo from 2013 to 2018.
Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 28 ...
.
In the Czech Republic
bishop Frantisek prince Lobkowicz was spiritual prior until his death in 2022. In Poland
bishop Jan Tyrawa is spiritual prior; and for the Grand Priory of Monaco
Dominique Rey
Dominique Marie Jean Rey (born 21 September 1952) is the Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon in the province of Marseille in southern France. He is a member of the Emmanuel Community, and he is considered one of the more conservative French bishops. He als ...
, bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, is the Prelate Grand Cross.
National legal authorities
In Spain, the order received recognition from the state through a number of legal documents, though this organisation is not listed in the
Orders, decorations, and medals of Spain
This is a list of some of the modern orders, decorations and medals of Spain.
The bulk of the top current civil and military decorations granted by the Government of Spain in a discretionary manner trace their origins back to the 19th and 20th cen ...
. Peter Van Duren further cites a formal Croatian government proclamation attesting that the order is "as an Order of Knighthood legitimately active in the sovereign territory of Croatia". The Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus has been recognized by the Hungarian Republic as an order of knighthood on 28 August 1993 (confirmed on 9 September 2008 and again on 5 July 2011 when the appointment of Countess Éva Nyáry (Malta-Paris obedience) as the new Head of the Representative Office of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem in Hungary was formally accepted).
The Orleans obedience enjoys perceived recognition as per a government communiqué and other cooperation efforts in and of
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
Royal patronage
The King
Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I (;,
* ca, Joan Carles I,
* gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...
of Spain allowed his kinsmen
Francisco de Borbón y Escasany, 5th Duke of Seville
Francisco de Paula Enrique de Borbón y Escasany, 5th Duke of Seville, Grandee of Spain (born 16 November 1943), is the current Duke of Seville and a distant relative of the Spanish royal family.Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese ...
and
Carlos Gereda y de Borbón to accept the position of grand master of the order. King
Felipe VI of Spain
Felipe VI (;,
* eu, Felipe VI.a,
* ca, Felip VI,
* gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...
has allowed his kinsman Francisco de Borbón y Hardenberg to succeed Carlos Gereda y de Borbón.
The Orléans obedience claims the protection of
Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris.
[Guy Stair Sainty, Rafal Heydel-Mankoo: World Orders of Knighthood and Merit, 2006, , vol. II, p.1859] In 2004, the count of Paris allowed his nephew
Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
to take the position of 49th grand master of the order in the Orléans obedience. Following the schism within the Paris obedience in 2004 that led to the establishment of the Orléans obedience under
Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
,
Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris, head of the
Orléanist
Orléanist (french: Orléaniste) was a 19th-century French political label originally used by those who supported a constitutional monarchy expressed by the House of Orléans. Due to the radical political changes that occurred during that cent ...
branch of the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...
, re-established his temporal protection.
In 2010, the prince resigned and since, the grand master of the Orléans obedience is
Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
.
History
Proposed early history of 1830–1910
After 1830, the French foundation of the Order of Saint Lazarus allegedly continued under the governance of a Council of Officers.
[Bander van Duren, Peter (1995) ''Orders of Knighthood and of Merit-The Pontifical, Religious and Secularised Catholic-founded Orders and their relationship to the Apostolic See'', Buckinghamshire, ss. 495–513, XLV-XLVII]
In 1841, according to later dated church authorities, the council of officers invited the
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
Maximos III Mazloum
Maximos III Michael Mazloum, (born in November 1779 in Aleppo, present Syria – died in August 1855) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1833 until 1855. As patriarch he reformed church administration and bolstered clerical e ...
(1779–1855) to become
spiritual protector of the order, thence re-establishing a tangible connection with the order's early roots in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
in the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
.
Indications propose that members supported the rebuilding of the
Mount Carmel Monastery
The Mt. Carmel Monastery is a historic monastery located at Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-part frame house, the main block of which was built about 1790 and restored in 1936–37. It consists of a two-story ...
in
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
,
Palestine, then under the responsibility of the Melkite Patriarch, while contemporary biographies indicate late 19th-century individuals as having been members of the Order of Saint Lazarus.
In the years that followed, according to the order's own accounts, new knights were admitted. These included
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...
s
Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin
Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin (2 September 1796 – 10 January 1864), French admiral, was born in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy. He was the nephew of Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, a successful rear admiral in the French Navy of the Napoleonic era. ...
and
Louis Édouard Bouët-Willaumez Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
(1853),
comtes Louis François du Mesnil de Maricourt and
Paul de Poudenx
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
(1863), comte
Jules Marie d'Anselme de Puisaye (1865),
vicomte de Boisbaudry (1875), comte
Jules Marie d'Anselme de Puisaye (1880 as a
hospitaller while living in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
),
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...
Yves de Constancin (1896), who was later to become
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
of the Hospitaller Nobles of Saint Lazarus. The latter was also a knight of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
and of
Order of Saint Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
.
1910–1961
In 1910, a
statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...
was
promulgated
Promulgation is the formal proclamation or the declaration that a new statutory or administrative law is enacted after its final approval. In some jurisdictions, this additional step is necessary before the law can take effect.
After a new law ...
by a Council of Officers composed of
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, subsequently including
Paul Watrin,
Anselme de la Puisaye,
Alexandre Gallery de la Tremblaye Alexandre may refer to:
* Alexandre (given name)
* Alexandre (surname)
* Alexandre (film)
See also
* Alexander
* Xano (disambiguation) Xano is the name of:
* Xano, a Portuguese hypocoristic of the name "Alexandre (disambiguation) Alexandre may re ...
,
Charles Otzenberger-Detaille, as well as Polish Catholic priest
John Tansky
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, among others.
This statute explicitly placed the governance in the hands of the magistracy, whose decisions were sovereign and irrevocable, thus manifested as a
laicised order, albeit with Patriarch
Cyril VIII Jaha
Cyril VIII Geha (or ''Jeha''), (November 26, 1840 – January 11, 1916) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1902 until 1916. He was the last Melkite Catholic patriarch of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman era.
Life
Geha was bo ...
of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
as confirmed protector.
The order continually attracted members from the
French nobility
The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution.
From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napol� ...
. By the early 20th century, it was attracting knights from further afield, notably
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
[P. Bertrand de la Grassiere: L'Ordre militaire et hospitalier de Saint-Lazare de Jerusalem: Son histoire - son action. Peyronnet et Cle, Paris, 1960, +188p]
In 1935, ''
Don''
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre
Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre ( es, Francisco de Paula de Borbón y La Torre; 16 January 1882 – 6 December 1952) was a Spanish aristocrat, military officer ( Captaincy General) and member of parliament in Spain. He was a cousin of King Al ...
,
Duke of Seville
Duke of Seville ( es, Duque de Sevilla) is a title of Spanish nobility that was granted in 1823 by King Ferdinand VII of Spain to his nephew, Infante Enrique of Spain. The Dukes of Seville are members of the Spanish branch of the House of Bo ...
,
grand bailiff of the order in Spain and lieutenant-general of the grand magistracy since 1930, was appointed as
grand master (allegedly authorised so by his cousin, King
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...
) – thus, according to the order's account, re-establishing the office, vacant since 1814 following the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. Francisco de Borbón y de la Torre remained grand master of the order from 1935 to 1952.
Since then, grand masters from the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...
have continued at the helm of the order, except for a short
interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
, when the grand master belonged to the French
Cossé-Brissac family. That occurred in 1969 with the election of the
12th Duke of Brissac as grand master, with the approval of the Count of Paris, head of the Royal House of France, solicited by the Patriarch
Maximos V Hakim
Maximos V Hakim ( ar, ماكسيموس الخامس حكيم; May 18, 1908, in Tanta, Egypt – June 29, 2001, Beirut, Lebanon) was elected Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church i ...
.
1961 onwards; schisms and obediences
In 1961,
Robert Gayre was appointed
Bailiff
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...
and
Commissioner-General for the order in the English-speaking world with responsibility for expanding the order's membership in that area. Up to then, non-Catholic Christians had been accepted only as affiliate members of the order. Gayre accepted the appointment on condition that henceforth
Protestants
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
would be eligible for full membership. The Paris authorities reluctantly agreed and Gayre took as a model to emulate the
British Protestant
Most Venerable Order of St. John. From this time, although the majority of its members and clergy remained Roman Catholic, the order began to identify itself as an
ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
organisation.
1969: Malta obedience and Paris obedience
In 1969, disagreement relating to the management and direction of the order led to a significant
schism
A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
that resulted in two major branches, which came to be known as "obediences". The majority of the membership, including nearly all of the anglophone members, were led by a series of Spanish
Borbón grand masters, and came to be known as the
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
obedience, as Gayre was headquartered there. The francophone members became the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
obedience, led by successive
Dukes of Brissac as grand master.
The decades that followed were punctuated by a series of attempts at reuniting the two branches, most significantly in 1986, when a significant portion of the anglophone membership in the Malta obedience (including most of those in the U.S.) rejoined the Paris obedience.
2004: Orléans obedience
In 2004, the Paris obedience underwent a further schism, breaking off from the Duke of Brissac's leadership, with the formation of the
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...]
, thus enjoying the
temporal protection of the Head of the Royal
House of France,
Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris, uncle of the Duke of Anjou.
In 2010, the Duke of Anjou resigned as 49th grand master to become grand master emeritus, and he was succeeded by his maternal uncle, the Czech Count
Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz
Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz (born 14 June 1946 in Prague, Czech Republic) is a Czech Republic, Czech-France, French count. He served as the 50th Grand Master (order), Grand Master of the ''Orléans obedience'' of the Order of Saint Lazaru ...
.
In 2012, Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris, temporarily removed his royal protection from the Orléans obedience. Again, on 31 January 2014, Henri d'Orléans expressly stated that only he can represent the Royal House of France and that "cette protection temporelle leur a été retirée par ma démission es qualités, notifiée à Pâques 2012. .... Toute référence à une quelconque protection temporelle actuelle de la Maison Royale de France, est donc pure affabulation et mensonge".[ which he reconstituted again, at least temporarily in February 2014.]
However, on 8 September 2014, Henri d'Orléans restored his temporal protection of the Order of Saint Lazarus (by jus sanguinis
( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of th ...
) and attached it as a Lieutenancy to his revival of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He explained that this amalgamation was established to defend the cultural heritage of France and to assure that the Order of Saint Lazarus continues its hospitaller missions of mercy and care. A declaration published by the Order of Saint Lazarus by the Saint Lazarus Grand Magisterium, its Government Council and its Constitutional Council welcomed this amalgamation under Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris, as affirming again, "more than ever" the legitimacy of the order. An attached declaration confirmed that the protection of Saint Lazarus by the Royal House of France was represented within the order by Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
as grand master emeritus and grand prior of France.[ Moreover, the Count of Paris, noted in his blog, that the statutes of the ancient combined orders, as well as those of the attached Lieutenancy of Saint Lazarus, were in accordance with the 1901 French law on associations, deposited and accepted by the Grand Chancellor of the ]National Order of the Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.
There is no scholarly consensus of the exact scope of a dynast's ''fons hornorum''. Some argue that the heads of formerly regnant houses, like the Count of Paris, by right of blood (''jure sanguinis''), can (''jus honorum'') even create or revive household orders ''moto proprio'' as an inviolable family prerogative. Prominent Italian jurist and president of chamber of the Italian Republic's highest court of appeal the ''Corte Suprema di Cassazione'', Ercole Tanturri, expressed the idea of heritable sovereignty as "a perpetual quality, indelibly linked and united in the centuries to all the offspring of one who first achieved or claimed and is realized in the person of the Head of Name and Arms of Dynasty. . ." This thinking is reflected in the February 2011 statement of legitimacy for the Order of St. Lazarus, which avers that "the temporal protection of the order guaranteed by H.R.H. the Count of Paris, Duc de France, Head of the Royal House of France, as its fons honorum assures the traditional and historical legitimacy of the order, with the added grace of ensuring that the order is not in the patrimony of the Royal House of France." Thus, even the Orleanist order of St. Lazarus disavows that it is a dynastic foundation, but rather a historic canonical and French royal institution that is protected by the fons of the current claimant to the defunct French thrown. This debate, aside, the influential genealogist Louis Mendola concedes that Henri's royal patronage should certainly protect the Orleanist group from being lumped together with obviously "self-styled" groups and is at least, if not more, a "quasi-chivalric confraternity dedicated to charitable work." Still others argue that the Count of Paris can simply do what he wants as a fountain of honor, including create a new order or revive an old one. This notion is captured in the idea that "Orléans" Order as protected by the count of Paris, is a "legitimate and valid chivalric order since the Royal House of France is indeed a fount of honor. One can even argue that it would be a sort of revival of the ancient Order that was merged with the Order of Mt. Carmel by the French Crown in the 17th century".
On 19 December 2016, Jan Count Dobzensky z Dobrzenicz, 50th grand master of the Order of St. Lazarus, was knighted by Pope Francis as a Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great. Also elevated into the Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr was the order's Herald for the Grand Priory of Bohemia, Chev. Zdirad Jan Krtitel Cech, who entered as a knight.
2008: Malta-Paris obedience
In 2008, the previously separate Malta and Paris obediences formally reunited into the Malta-Paris obedience under the headship of Carlos Gereda y de Borbón and the Spiritual Protectorship of Gregory III Laham
Gregory III Laham, Basilian Salvatorian Order, B.S. ( ar, غريغوريوس الثالث لحام; la, Gregorius III Lahamus; born Lutfy Laham, December 15, 1933, in Darayya, Syria), Emeritus Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Patriarch ...
, the Melchite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch at that time.
On 27 May 2012, Gregory III Laham signed the aforementioned declaration in Kevelaer
Kevelaer (Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany a ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, confirming the continuity of the order (under the united Malta-Paris obedience) under the Patriarchs of Antioch since his predecessor Patriarch Maximos III Mazloum
Maximos III Michael Mazloum, (born in November 1779 in Aleppo, present Syria – died in August 1855) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1833 until 1855. As patriarch he reformed church administration and bolstered clerical e ...
had accepted the role of Spiritual Protector of the order in 1841.[Declaration on the Ninth Centenary of the Royal Recognition of the Order St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, Kevekaer, Germany, 27 May 2012.]
In 2018, was elected as grand master of the Order of Saint Lazarus (Malta-Paris obedience).[ He is the only son of ]Francisco de Borbón y Escasany, 5th Duke of Seville
Francisco de Paula Enrique de Borbón y Escasany, 5th Duke of Seville, Grandee of Spain (born 16 November 1943), is the current Duke of Seville and a distant relative of the Spanish royal family.Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese ...
, grand master emeritus.
2010: Jerusalem obedience
In 2010, there was a further split within the Orléans obedience, requiring the Count of Paris to clarify that his temporal protection would remain with the obedience under Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz (Orléanist) as opposed to those who had broken away to form their own group under the leadership of Count Philippe Piccapietra who had previously been a member of the team led by Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou.
Piccapietra went on to establish Saint Lazare International in 2012 with its headquarters in Jerusalem. This 'Jerusalem obedience' now has as its Grand Master Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma
Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma ( es, link=no, Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón-Parma y Borbón-Busset; it, Sisto Enrico di Borbone Parma; born 22 July 1940), known as Enrique V by supporters, is considered Regent of Spain by some Carlists wh ...
and enjoys the spiritual patronage of Anglican Bishop Richard Garrard
Richard Garrard (born 24 May 1937) was the seventh Suffragan Bishop of Penrith in the modern era.
Garrard was educated at Northampton Grammar School and King's College London. Ordained in 1962, he began his career with a curacy in Woolwic ...
, emeritus Representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See.
Organisation
Purpose
The purpose of the order is to "care and assistance of the sick and the poor, and to the support and defense of the Christian faith
Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the Major religious groups, world's ...
and the traditions and principles of Christian chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...
."
Charity
In recent years the order participate in worldwide humanitarian efforts. It has been engaged in a major charitable program to revive Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
: Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, and the Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
: Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, and the Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The ...
. Millions of dollar
Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, ...
s worth of food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...
, clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...
, medical equipment
A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
and supplies have been distributed by the LHW-volunteers of the Humanitarian Grand Priory Europe (GPEU) in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
, Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capi ...
and North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. Because of this experience, the European Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...
commissioned the LHW-volunteer organisation Lazarus-Hilfswerk to transport more than 21,000 tons of food to the hungry in Russia and to distribute it in St. Petersburg, Novorod and Moscow. The order organised with the LHW food aid and managed reconstruction projects after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern ...
.
* In New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, the order supplied funds to "Victim Support" of Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
to assist people to contending with the after-effects of earthquakes and floods.
* The Commandery in Lochore
Lochore is a former mining village in Fife, Scotland. It takes its name from the nearby Loch Ore.
It is largely joined to the adjacent villages of Ballingry to the north and Crosshill to the south.
Education
Most of the children in Lochore go ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, established a volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
ambulance
An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport.
Ambulances are used to respond to med ...
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
.
* The order in Malta funded the purchase by the "Emergency Fire and Rescue Unit" of a specialized stretcher purposely designed for particular rescue operations besides funding a number of philanthropic projects including support to organisations working with victims of Hansen's Disease.
* The order in Spain held a gala dinner to raise funds to benefit Cáritas, the Little Sisters of the Poor
The Little Sisters of the Poor (french: Petites Sœurs des pauvres) is a Catholic religious institute for women. It was founded by Jeanne Jugan. Having felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns ...
of Ronda
Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...
, province of Málaga
The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to ...
, and the Foundation Fontilles among other institutions.
* The order in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
funds medical research, especially in leprosy, provides financial assistance to theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
students by way of Saint Lazarus bursaries, and supports leprosy hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...
s.
The various jurisdictions still undertake to support the modern fight against leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...
, also known as Hansen's disease (HD).
Insignia and vestments
For the Order of Saint Lazarus ceremonial occasions, such as investitures, the members wear distinctive vestments and insignia. The mantle of the order is a black cloak with a green velvet collar and the cross of the order sewn onto the left side. The mantle is always worn at religious ceremonies. In addition to the mantle and insignia members of the order normally wear white gloves and ladies may also wear a mantilla in church.
The insignia of a knight is a badge with military trophy pendant from a green neck ribbon, and a golden breast star. Dames of the order wear the badge with wreath of laurel and oak springs from a ribbon bow and a golden breast star. A green button hole rosette may also be worn on a business suit by gentlemen of the order.
Gallery
File:Grandes armes OSLJ.svg, Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
of the order.
File:Flag of the Order of Saint Lazarus.svg, Flag of the order.
File:Cross of Saint Lazarus.svg, Cross of the order, a green Maltese cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...
, also included in the flag of the Volunteers Corps.
File:OSLJ cross medium.jpg, Insignia of the order.
File:Lazarus Insignie.jpg, Officer of the order.
Membership
Membership of the Order of Saint Lazarus is by invitation only and is an honour granted by the Grand Magistry of the order. The order include among their members people of the European nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
, academics, politicians
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and senior clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
. Membership in the order is divided into two classes, knights of justice and knights of magistral grace, the former restricted to members of families with noble titles. All members of the order are invested in one of the following ranks, regardless of whether they qualify for justice or magistral grace:
Men who are invested in the rank of knight (KLJ) or higher are entitled to the prenominal ''Chevalier''. Women invested in the rank of Dame or higher are entitled to the prenominal ''Dame''.
In the Orleans obedience, full membership is restricted to those aged 25 or above, although a noviciate membership level is open to those aged 18 or above.
There is also a Companionate of Merit which is often used to honour individuals who are not members of the order, but have supported its work, or made a significant contribution to society. Those admitted may receive the grade of Member of Merit, Officer of Merit, Commander of Merit, Knight/Dame of Merit, or Knight/Dame Grand Cross of Merit.
Prominent members
Malta-Paris obedience
A number of royal houses are represented among the knights of the order, including Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani
Prince David Bagrationi Mukhrani (''Mukran-Batoni'' ��უხრანბატონი of Georgia, ''David Bagration de Moukhrani y Zornoza'', or ''Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli'' ( ka, დავით ბაგრატიონ-მუხრა ...
of Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, and Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
Zera Yacob Amha Selassie (; Ge'ez: ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ አምሃ ሥላሴ; born 17 August 1953) is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie and son of Amha Selassie of the Ethiopian Empire. He has been head of the Imperial House of Ethiop ...
, Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. Also, the Patriarch Abune Paulos
Abune Paulos (born Gebremedhin Woldeyohannes; 3 November 1936 – 16 August 2012) was an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Patriarch from 1992 to his death in 2012. His full title was "His Holiness Abuna Paulos, Fifth Patriarch of the Ortho ...
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
.
In the United Kingdom, the order has counted several senior aristocrats among its membership. The 13th Earl Ferrers was the grand prior of England and Wales (Malta obedience) until he was succeeded in March 2012 by the 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury, who was followed by the 13th Marquess of Lothian in October 2013. In Scotland, the 5th Viscount Gough is head of the grand bailiwick of Scotland.
In Ireland, Denis O'Conor Don, Chief of the Name O'Conor and principal claimant to the High Kingship of Ireland, was a knight of justice in the order as well as ''Juge d'Armes'' of the Grand Priory of Ireland. Other noble families are also represented among the order's membership in Ireland, including O'Morchoe, Bunbury and Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ov ...
.
The grand priory of Australia was under the patronage of the former Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.[Quentin Bryce
Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...](_blank)
, during her tenure from 2008 to 2014. In New Zealand, the Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy is a Vice-Regal Patron of the order, and the Māori King
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
Tuheitia Paki is a knight commander of the order.
Orléans obedience
Martin Thacker, the feudal Baron of Fetternear, is the Grand Prior of the Orléans obedience in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
. In Portugal, the Grand Prior is Francisco Fonseca da Silva, Marquis et Comte d'Ervededo. The Grand Prior for Lusophone Africa is Abel de Lacerda Botelho, Comte de Ribadouro. In Poland, the Spiritual Prior is Bishop Jan Tyrawa. President of the Governing Council of the Order is Prince Charles-Philippe, Duke of Anjou
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
.
File:Portrait of Jan Dobrzenský.jpg, Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz
Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz (born 14 June 1946 in Prague, Czech Republic) is a Czech Republic, Czech-France, French count. He served as the 50th Grand Master (order), Grand Master of the ''Orléans obedience'' of the Order of Saint Lazaru ...
, 50th Grand Master of the Orléans obedience (since 2010).
File:Dominik_Duka_2014.jpg, Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague
The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The current Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bi ...
, Spiritual Protector of the Orléans obedience from 2012 to 2021.
Other Lazarite organisations
Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (1995)
Founded by John von Hoff (died 2017), its website states that a "Grand Priory of England, Wales, Isle of Man and Channel Islands", of which Niels Ole Larsen is now the grand master, was established in 1995, and that a wider body of "United Grand Priories" was set up in 1999. It chose to be independent of the same "United Grand Priories" due to the fact that John von Hoff assumed for himself the title of master general of the order without the backing and approval of the other Grand Priories within the "United Grand Priories". The other Grand Priories continued expanding as the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus - see below. The organization claims it is not an order of chivalry and that it has no pretensions of being an order of chivalry directly descended from the original Order of Saint Lazarus, or from the order statuted in 1910.
Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (1995)
This body's website states that an organisation called the "United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem" was established in 1995. It is registered as a chivalric organisation within the United Nations and has a presence in many countries of the world, with a membership of 14,000 Lazarites. It is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, with an administrative presence in Malta, and it was under the leadership of Richard Comyns of Ludston (as Supreme Grand Prior) and the spiritual direction of Mgr Joseph Vella Gauci (as Grand Chaplain General) until the former's demise in 2020. The organisation claims to be chivalric, but it makes no claim to be an order of chivalry
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concept ...
descended directly from the original Order of Saint Lazarus, or from the order statuted in 1910.
In 2020, on the 25th anniversary since the founding of the United Grand Priories, HI&RH Sandor Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduke of Austria (elder son of Dominic von Habsburg
Dominic von Habsburg (born 4 July 1937) is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Tuscany and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He is also the Carlist-Carloctavismo pretender to the throne of Spain under the name Domingo I.
Dominic was born in 1937 ...
), was appointed as Supreme Grand Prior of the organisation, together with a number of Grand Officers from various jurisdictions projecting the organisation's international presence.
It is very active within international and European fora and is a member of various United Nations initiatives, Amnesty International, the European Disability Forum, the European Network of Independent Living, Inclusion International and other institutions. Several distinguished personalities, including heads of state, nobility, high-ranking government ministers and public personalities, are members of this chivalric organisation.
The ranks of membership within this organisation are similar to other Lazarite chivalric organisations, starting from member of the order (MLJ), with the highest rank within the order being that of Knight Grand Cross (GCLJ) or Dame Grand Cross of the order. The organisation also has a prestigious Companionate of Merit for persons from all over the world who have aided and assisted the order or who have performed meritorious philanthropic or social work in their career. Whilst membership of the order is exclusively for Christians of all denominations, the Companionate of Merit is conferred regardless of religious affiliation. During investitures, members of the order wear black mantles with a green eight-pointed cross.
Efforts to create a memorandum of understanding and cooperation agreements between the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus and the various obediences within the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus were regularly brought up, especially during the years 2003–2004, but were never concluded in full.
See website http://www.saintlazarus.org
File:Richard Comyns of Ludston.jpg, Richard Comyns of Ludston, the first Supreme Grand Prior
File:The First International Lazarite Symposium, Malta, 2012.jpg, The first International Lazarite Symposium, held in 2012 at the Sacra Infermeria in Valletta, Malta
File:The Installation of Dom Leopold Nisnoni, Rajah of Kupang as the Grand Prior of Indonesia.jpg, Installation of the Rajah of Kupang as Grand Prior of Indonesia in 2016
File:Grand Chancellor and Grand Prior of Ethiopia - US 2016.jpg, The Grand Chancellor, Massimo Ellul, with the Grand Prior of Ethiopia, HIH Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, in 2016
File:HIRH_Archduke_Sandor_Habsburg-Lothringen,_Supreme_Grand_Prior_of_the_Hospitaller_Order_of_St._Lazarus_of_Jerusalem.jpg, Count Sandor Habsburg-Lothringen,[Sandor Habsburg, son of ]Dominic von Habsburg
Dominic von Habsburg (born 4 July 1937) is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Tuscany and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He is also the Carlist-Carloctavismo pretender to the throne of Spain under the name Domingo I.
Dominic was born in 1937 ...
, is only listed as Count of Habsburg in the Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First publish ...
Edition of 2000, Volume 1, page 46 Supreme Grand Prior, during a Supreme Grand Priory meeting in 2020 at Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna
Grand Priory of Carpathia (2008)
The Grand Priory of Carpathia is an alliance of Jurisdictions of the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem which are located within the Carpathian Basin, or adjacent to it, or historically were part of the Kingdom of Hungary or the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Grand Prior is Colonel Andrew von Rhedey.
In 2004, the leaders broke from the then recognized Obediences. Efforts to achieve a reconciliation failed in 2008 when the Constitution of the new united Malta-Paris obedience was not accepted. From that time onward, the Grand Priory of Carpathia has functioned autonomously.
See website http://www.lazarusorder.net
See also
* Grand Masters of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
The Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910) is the leader of a fraternal order claiming legacy and contingency to the medieval Catholic military order (society), military order, the Order of Saint Lazarus.
It claims continuity ...
* Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care beca ...
– established 12th century
* Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...
– established 1572
* Royal Military and Hospitaller Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem united – established 1604/8
References
External links
{{commons category, Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)
Official website, Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus – Malta-Paris Obedience
Official website, Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus – Orléans Obedience
Official website, Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus – Jerusalem Obedience
Official website, Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus – United Grand Priories
1910 establishments in France
Religious organisations based in Malta
Christian organizations based in France