1 ooth Anniversary

THE ROOTS OF ST JOHN AMBULANCE

The Holy Land - The memory of the Life, Passion and Glory of Jesus Christ. As early as the year 3 AD it was customary for pilgrims to visit the Holy City of . The Coenaculum was the only site known to have survived the wars that occurred in that reg ion over the years. After 33 AD, pilgrimages to visit these Holy Places increased fur­ ther until the Roman Empire gradually converted to Christianity. Under the rule of Constantin e, other Holy Places were discovered .....

600 AD Abbot Probus bidden by Pope Gregory the Great to setup a hostel for pilgrims in Holy Land.

687 AD Jerusalem fell in the hands of the Arabs who did not molest the pilgrims as the latter were a source of income for them!

800 AD Caliph Haroun al Raschid allowed Emperor Charlemagne to rebuild and en large the hostel. A li brary was also added.

1000 Caliph El Hakim started a persecution against Christians and buildings were razed to th e ground, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Charlemagne's hos­ pital and library. After the death of El Hakim, merchants from Amalfi (a sma ll republic on the Italian coast south of Naples) rebui lt the hospital & the library. The Eight Pointed Cross was emblem of the Republic of Amalfi and the Cross was used by the Benedictine monks who served in this new hospital.

1099 Capture of Jerusalem by the forces of the . The Blessed Gerard from Provence (then warden of the hospital) founded the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem . He reconstituted the Order as a religious body bound by the three vows of Poverty, Obedience and Chastity. Members wore a black robe with the Eight Pointed Cross on th eir breast. The new Order acquired the ancient monastery of St John the Baptist, formerly a Greek Church in Jerusalem, and in consequence the Baptist became the Patron of the Order.

1113 The Order of the Hospitallers was formally recognised by Pope Paschal II.

1119 Successor Raymond du Puy became the first Grand Master of the Order. He also introduced the Eight Pointed Cross.

At this time two French started the task of protecting the travellers along the route from the coast of Palestine all the way to Jerusalem. Other knights soon ioined in . Thus came into being the Military Order. At th e same time one has to consider the gradual recovery of the Saracens. - ~ King Baldwin II granted them part of the Temple of Solomon and from this they became .• ••- .~ · known as the Order of the Templars. ;~ • T STJOHNAMBULANC_E_-_M_A_L_T_A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- ~ 1ooth Anniversary

By now, the Order had three classes: KNIGHTS, CHAPLAINS and SERVING BROTHERS . The KNIGHTS were also subdivided into eight languages according to their place of origin: Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon, England, Germany and Castille (to which Leon and Portugal were added in 1492). Each language had its own Auberge. The war dress {like the banner) bore a plain white cross on a red background, while in the convent, a black robe with the eight-pointed white cross on the left breast was worn.

Raymond du Puy helped the Templars by setting a body of military brethren among the Hospitallers to defend the hospital, though maintaining the hospital, nursing the sick and taking care of the poor remained the priority.

The death of Raymond brought about internal dissensions and discord with Ecclesiastical Authorities.

1144 Foundation of the Priory at Clerkenwell, which is the Headquarters of the Order in the British Realm today

1187 Saladin attacked Jerusalem once more and finally succeeded in capturing it from the Knights despite their heroic defence and deeds of great valour. The Knights retreated to St Jean D' Acre.

1291 The Knights were once again attacked and St Jean D'Acre fell into the hands of the Muslims. The Christian forces were expelled from Palestine and the few surviving Hospitallers escaped lo Cyprus. The wounded Grand Master John de Villiers reconstructed the Order with new volunteers from Europe and flourished in Cyprus. Despite many attempts, the Order did not succeed in gaining independence from the King of Cyprus.

1310 The Hospitallers occupied Rhodes in order to be close to the Holy Land. Many Christians enrolled themselves in the service of the Hospitallers and Order is now revamped.

1312 After expulsion from the Holy Land, the Templars tried to reorganise themselves while in Cyprus. They either returned home or resorted lo a rich and luxurious life. So the Order of the Temple was dissolved by a decree of the Pope and the property was trans­ ferred to the Order of St John, i.e. the Hospitallers.

1480 The first Siege of Rhodes by the Turks. The Hospitallers won the battle and forced the Turks to abandon the siege. The Muslims became afraid of the growth of the Hospitallers and often attacked Rhodes, only to render the name of the Order renowned all over Europe!

1522 The second Siege of Rhodes. The Knights under Philippe Villiers de l'lsle-Adam - defended with 10,000 men against 200,000 Turks under Suleiman II. L'lsle-Adam asked ~ for help from Europe but there was discord among the Christian Princes and the Order ~ was to fend for itself! The Order finally surrendered on 23rd December 1522. Suleiman II treated the defeated heroes well by giving them all honours of war. The Order left Rhodes in 12 days, after 213 years of rule . • ST JOHN AMBULANCE - 1 ooth Anniversary

The Blessed Gerard, Grand Master Raymond Du Puy. founder of the Hospitallers.

~ of St John in war robes and convent robes respectively (Painting by Pinturicchio, in Sienna Catherdral}. ~ l STJOHNAMBULANCE-MA-L-TA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~ 1ooth Anniversary

1530 Aller short stays in Crete and the Island of Candia, the Order moved to . Welcomed but homeless, the Order scattered and fame started to fade. Finally, Pope Clement VII met the claims of Grand Master de l' lsle-Adam with sympathy. Malta and Gozo seemed right for the Order and after hard negotiations Charles V (then head of the Holy Roman Empire) granted the Order the city of Tripoli and the Maltese Islands with entire jurisdiction and authority, both civil as well as military, subject to an annual donation of a falcon to the Viceroy of on All Saints Day.

26th October - The Maltese protested but Order came in full force to occupy the islands. The Grand Master assured the islanders that he was ready to keep with the local laws and customs. De l'lsle-Adam entered the Maltese harbour aboard the Santa Anna, the first armour-plated vessel known at that time.

13th November - L'lsle Adam rode to Notabile, the Capital, and swore to observe the privileges of the Maltese and was given the keys of the City. Fortifications around the Borgo were strengthened and Fort St Angelo enlarged.

Grand Master Philippe Villiers de l'lsle-Adam receiving the keys of Mdina on his arrival in 1530.

19th Century engraving found in the President's Palace, Malta.

ST JOHN AMBULANCE - MALTA 1 ooth Anniversary

Brothers of the Order carrying out nursing duties in the Hospital in Malta, while doctors examine patients. From the Verda/a statutes 1588.

The hospitals of the Order, in the Holy Land, in Rhodes and in Malta, were established for the care of pilgrims, the sick poor, the weary and exhausted, as well as the diseased and injured.

A Knight would always be in charge: at the Headquarters he was named Hospitaller. Nursing the sick was a part of every Knight's duties, and the nuns of the Order of St John also carried out nursing duties.

Raising of the Siege of Malta From a printing by Lariviere, in the Gallery of the Crusades, Versailles Palace STJOHNAMBULANCE - MALT-A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-11111 1 ooth Anniversary

1565 The Great Siege of Malta. The Hospitallers under Grand Master Jean Parisot de La Valette held out the Moslem Turks until a relieving force arrived. The Turks were driv­ en off and never attacked the island again.

1566 28th March - First stone of the new city La Valetta laid.

1789 Start of the French Revolution. Property of the Order in France confiscated. Many French Knights escaped to Malta and lived at the expense of the Order and the Maltese population! This drove Grandmaster De Rohan to seek help from Russia. Formerly Russia had asked the Order for help in the war on Turkey, but the Order had not helped out as Russia was on bad terms with France. Thus the Order could remain neutral. However, these negotiations with Russia by De Rohan were to dissolve the posi­ tion of neutrality that the Order boasted of.

1798 A party of French Knights and Maltese noblemen promoted French interests in Malta. Low revenues, wrecked commerce, miserable provisions and high unemployment completely undermined the popularity of Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch and the Order. Documents from Russia to Malta were intercepted by the French and this blew the neutral image of the Order. This incident was enough for Napoleon to lay siege on Malta. After capitulating, the Order was expelled from Malta by Napoleon on l 0th June 1798. Remaining members of the Order escaped to Russia.

1831 Revival of the Order in England after it had been confiscated by Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.

1834 The Order's Convent was re-established in Russia under the protection of the Czar. The Parent stem of the Order, known as the Sovereign Order of Malta, was also set up with Headquarters in .

1877 Foundation of the St John Ambulance Association.

1882 Foundation of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem.

St John Ambulance Association established in Malta

1887 Formation of the St John Ambulance Brigade

1888 The first Royal Charter was granted to the Order by Oueen Victoria.

1909 18th September - Formation of the St John Ambulance Valletta Division in - Malta • ST JOHN AMBULANCE - MALTA 1ooth Anniversary

1922 Formation of the St John Ambulance Brigade Cadets.

1945 June 15th - Paola-Tarxien Division formed after reorganisation gathering members from the local areas and Cottonera No.2 Division.

1960 The St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem rebuilt. Designed to serve as a consulting Ophthalmic hospital for the whole of the Middle East, it gives free treatment to very large numbers of patients.

1963 Signing of a Concordat with the Sovereign and Military Order of Malta.

1968 St John Ambulance and Brigade merged into one Foundation.

1987 In January the Badger section is introduced to celebrate l 00 years since the formation of the Brigade

2007 On 2nd April, St John Ambulance launches its new corporate identity Ever since, the Charitable work of the Order continues to be expressed principally through its two foundations, namely the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem and the St John Ambulance Association and Brigade, not only in the Commonwealth but in a number of other countries too.

From these roots grew the St John Ambulance we know today. This organisation never looked back by continuing the job the Hospitallers started long ago, that of helping the sick and injured persons from all walks of life.

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