The Medieval Order of St. Lazarus
The Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem was a medieval military, religious and Hospitaller Order of Chivalry, and bore no resemblance to modern-day historical or charitable organizations, all using the name Saint Lazarus.
It was military in that it played a military role from 1120 to about the beginning of the 16th century. Until 1291, its military activities were centred in the Holy Land helping to hold it for Christianity. After the loss of l’Outremer, they were involved in the protection of the various pilgrim routes, particularly of that to Santiago de Compostela. The military role was partly revived in the early 17th century when the Order maintained a squadron of ten frigates based at St Malo, manned by the knights, novices and chaplains. With the ending of the Order's naval activities in 1668, the military role was continued by means of its naval academy, and the ownership of a military school in Paris, which it held until the French Revolution in 1791.
With regards to the religious aspect, the Order was originally an order of monks taking the triple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The monastic character was in no way lessened when it commenced its military role. After the Crusading period, the Order's religious character was maintained by means of its Chaplains and Ecclesiastics, its Spiritual Grand Prior, its rules, services and traditions. Members were expected to live their lives in the spirit of ecumenical Christian charity.
The Order was Hospitaller in that its origins allegedly stem from a leper hospice founded in Jerusalem in the 4th or 5th century. The Order, according to some historians, was first established during the time of Saint Basil, with the founding of its first hospital in the city of Ptolemais (Acre). Other authors state that the source of the name of the Order stems from the fact that the Order was started by a group of Armenian monks who worked under the Rule of Saint Basil, and that their work was primarily to look after lepers. Due to this very contagious work, these monks were given quarters outside the walls of Jerusalem and their 'hospice' was established near to the Gate of Saint Lazarus, or, as it was referred to, the postern of Saint Lazarus. It is thus due to this geographical location that they became known as the Order of Saint Lazarus.
The majority of historians, however, agree that such claims of continuity from remote antiquity were, in effect, apocryphal pretensions so that the Knights of Saint Lazarus would be viewed upon as the oldest of all the Orders, especially since they became, in a very short time, expert Hospitallers and carers of the ill, lepers and needy. Despite its subsequent military role, it remained primarily a Hospitaller Order, operating a worldwide network of hospitals and Lazar Houses, and sending aid to wherever there was sickness and suffering, maintaining or supporting leper hospitals and Lazarettos.
The Order was chivalric in that it became a monastic Order of Knighthood in the early 12th century. Its ranks held those who were already knights or those of noble birth who received knighthood after entry into the Order. The Order always had the power of conferring knighthood on any person deemed suitable. This ancient prerogative was enshrined in the Act of 1624, which created the category of Knights of Grace, where nobility was not required. This power, to confer knighthood remained unimpaired from the 12th century and needed no recognition for its validity, preceding, as it did, all secular knighthoods still surviving to this day.
With the loss of the Holy Land in the Crusades, the Order of Saint Lazarus continued operating in Europe, albeit in a more non-centralised manner. Historical documentation proves that certain areas of Lazarite operations, such as those operating in the area today referred to as Great Britain, went on with their Hospitaller work with little or no communication with the rest of their brethren in France and Italy. In Italy, the Order was diluted in strength and eventually merged, with papal blessing and guidance, into what is today referred to as the Order of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus and which is still under the Fons Honorum of the Royal House of Savoy as per a number of Papal Bulls on the subject.
After the Pope, the French Monarchy
It was in France that the Order boasted its greatest concentration of members. It was instructed on several occasions by the Papacy to be incorporated into the Order of Saint John. However, the French Monarchy took the Order of Saint Lazarus under its protection and later, the same French Monarchy amalgamated the Order with the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel by means of a Royal Letters Patent dated October 31st 1608. This amalgamation was accepted by Rome on June 5th 1668 by means of the Papal Legate.
The French Revolution and its immediate aftermath meant the total dissolution of the Order from France. In layman’s terms, the Order ceased to exist. In September 1792, the National Convention met and abolished the monarchy and established the First Republic of France. Since the Order had been primarily active in France from the 14th Century it follows that it was subject to all the political upheavals in that country, none more important to the Order than the decree by the Assembly from the Third Estate, on the 30th July 1791, which emphatically stated that all Orders of Chivalry were abolished.
To date, the various governments of France have continued to uphold this decree. The same can be said for the Vatican State and the Supreme Pontiff. Likewise, no internationally recognised jurisdiction or sovereign government has extended, revived or re-created a Fons Honorum for the medieval Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem in any format; revamped, new or otherwise. The fount of honour (Latin: Fons Honorum) refers to a person or entity, who, by virtue of his or her or its official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons.
The Modern St. Lazarus
It is thus due to the constant need for historical accuracy that our chivalric organization emphatically states - in precisely the same manner of language as do all the governments and historians in question - that the medieval Order of Saint Lazarus was therefore extinguished in this particular era.
Nonetheless, a number of individuals opted, from time to time, to resurrect the aura of the Order of Saint Lazarus. All of these modern day revivals are registered in their various countries of origins as an organization and not as a Chivalric Order. Some, certainly not this chivalric organisation, also registered themselves as a limited liability company. Stating the opposite is indeed considered in legal, historic and heraldic circles as stating an interpolation and an untruth. Our chivalric organization has nothing whatsoever to do with such twisting of historic facts.
Notwithstanding the above, in more recent times, the various reincarnations of the Order were at the forefront of manning and assisting medical centres, hospices, ambulance units and various other humanitarian institutions throughout the world.
The United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem are a confederation of independent Lazarite Grand Priories governed by the Supreme Grand Priory. Unlike other similar organisations, it is assembled on a regular basis and is composed of a number of Grand Officers from across the continents. These constitute the Grand Council of the Order and are responsible for the day to day running of our international confraternity of Lazarites. The Grand Officers, together with representatives of all the Grand Priories and sister organisations within the Order of St. Lazarus, decide on the challenges facing today’s Hospitaller works throughout the world.
Since the Fons Honorum of the Order of Saint Lazarus was historically extinguished after the French Revolution by means of an official decree by the Paris Commune, the above Grand Priories do not recognize any self-appointed Grand Master or Master General. The main and primary, noble aim of the Order is indeed the carrying out of charitable and Hospitaller work throughout the world. It is thus the policy of the United Grand Priories to leave and assist the independent Grand Priories throughout the world in collecting and distributing funds and embarking on their charitable and philanthropic initiatives in their respective regions without the need of burdening such noble work with the uncalled for imposition of unjustified fees and centralised bureaucracy.
The United Grand Priories
Thus, the history of the United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus goes no further back than the year 1995. In that year, the Grand Priory of England and the Grand Priory of Scotland founded this international chivalric organisation in the UK, and were immediately joined by their brethren within the Grand Priory of South Africa. In the subsequent years, the Order was blessed with a phenomenal growth in various different regions and jurisdictions.
Whilst emulating the noble virtues of the extinguished medieval Order of Chivalry bearing the same name, the United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem projects itself according to the laws and statutes of the countries where it operates as a fully registered chivalric institution. It is duly recognized as such by all the relative authorities and is proud to have a number of very close relationships with governments, national, regional and local authorities, other established chivalric operations and royal and noble families throughout the world. In various regions where it operates, the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem works hand in hand with local and national government authorities together with civil society in order to further underline modern-day Hospitaller and philanthropic work.
Its primary aim is Hospitaller and philanthropic work throughout the continents. Such Hospitaller work is evident and constant in the continents of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Australasia and Asia. Although cordial rapport is encouraged with other organizations working today under the banner of Saint Lazarus, the United Grand Priories does not form part of Lazarite organizations who unfortunately continue to defy the accuracy of historical records and perpetrate the myth that the medieval Order of Saint Lazarus continued uninterrupted after the French revolution.
From 2007 onwards, the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem expanded greatly in various countries and regions. The Order established itself in 71 different jurisdictions in the continents of North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia/Oceania and Africa and the Middle East. While most of its jurisdictions are organized as Grand Priories, there are a number of jurisdictions which are somewhat smaller in number and thus are organized as Priories, Grand Commanderies, Commanderies or Delegations.
With these influxes of Lazarite synergy worldwide, the United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus became one of the largest, if not the largest, Lazarite organization worldwide with an international membership of 15,000 brothers and sisters worldwide. The Order’s international presence and activities were also noted within several international structures. The United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus was accepted and listed as a Non-Governmental Organisation within the United Nations and is also an active member of several international and European fora, including organisations working with the Council of Europe, international disability and social inclusion fora and platforms.
Today, the Order has a number of its own properties in Europe, America and the Caribbean. It runs clinics and boasts of its own Hospitaller Museum in Nevis. Its hospital and clinical services have been made available free of charge to a number of different countries, specifically targeting the vulnerable sector within the communities. Extensive donations for worthy causes have been given by means of fund raising initiatives within the Order’s jurisdictions.
It has been the policy of the United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus to constantly present the history and ethos of the Order of Saint Lazarus throughout the ages from its crusading past to the present day in an undiluted and non-interpolated manner. We actively ensure that people interested in Saint Lazarus operations in the 21st Century understand that it is a proven historic fact that the medieval Order of Saint Lazarus became extinct immediately after the French revolution.
For these last decades since the founding of the United Grand Priories in 1995, we have humbly sought to emulate the Hospitaller tradition of the medieval Order by means of an international chivalric organization, fully compliant with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in question, and without the need to manipulate history in order to project an inaccurate account of a wishful Lazarite past. It is, we believe, primarily due to this sincere approach to our members and patrons that one can understand why the United Grand Priories of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus have grown to be the most active Lazarite chivalric organization worldwide.