The Order of St Lazarus
MILITARY AND HOSPITALLER ORDER OF SAINT LAZARUS OF JERUSALEM
UNDER THE HIGH PROTECTION OF MONSEIGNEUR LE COMTE DE PARIS, DUC DE FRANCE, CHEF DE LA MAISON ROYALE DE FRANCE
MAGNUS L MAGISTER CITRA ET ULTRA MARIA, PRÆCEPTOR BOIGNACI:
HE Count Jan Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz
The Order of St Lazarus is one of the earliest of the Christian orders of chivalry still in existence, and is considered to have been established in the Holy Land by crusader knights somewhere between 1098 and 1130. The hospital of St Lazarus in Jerusalem is known to have comprised a distinctive religious community of monastic brothers and knights, many of whom had left other Orders because they had contracted leprosy or been otherwise disabled through warfare. In caring for one another while supporting the crusades, their activities were both military and hospitaller. Health issues remain one of the Order's charitable aims today, though its focus has now widened to encompass many other forms of humanitarian aid. The Grand Priory of Great Britain has supported a number of charitable projects including: Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and the building of a Hospital in Burkina Faso.
