Order of Malta – Official site of the Grand Priory of England and British Association of the world's oldest order of chivalry

Latest News

The mission of the Order of Malta is inspired by its tradition of ‘Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum', to assist the poor and the sick, and bear witness to the Christian faith.

Government

The Sovereign Order of Malta is a sovereign subject of international law. The Order - which is based in Rome, in via Condotti - has its own Government, an independent magistracy, and bilateral diplomatic relations with 110 countries.

FAQ

The Order of St John of Jerusalem is one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilisation. Present in Palestine in around 1048, it is a lay religious Order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature.

History

Grand Masters

The founder and first Grand Master of the Order was born around 1040 in Scala, a village a few kilometres from Amalfi in southern Italy. In the second half of the 11th century he went to Jerusalem where he began to work in the hospital next to the church…

The Order in Britain

The British Association of the Order was founded in 1875. Its works include care homes (71 in England), soup kitchens, tea parties for the elderly lonely, pilgrimages with disabled guests to Walsingham and Lourdes, participation in international Order of Malta summer camps for young disabled.

Names of The Order

Since its foundation 960 years ago, many names have been used to identify the Order and its members. This can be explained by its nine centuries of eventful life and in particular because the Knights have often been forced to move from countries where…