Order of Malta Coat of Arms over Flag

Introducing ‘Ancient Brotherhoods’ Collection by Serge Averbukh, showcasing heraldry and insignia of various historical brotherhoods, societies and... more

by Serge Averbukh

Title

Order of Malta Coat of Arms over Flag

Artist

Serge Averbukh

Medium

Photograph - Instagram Photo

Description

Introducing ‘Ancient Brotherhoods’ Collection by Serge Averbukh, showcasing heraldry and insignia of various historical brotherhoods, societies and orders. Here you will find framed and wrapped canvas fine art prints, showcasing a Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) Coat of Arms on Red Canvas.
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (Italian: Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta), also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order of, traditionally, a military, chivalrous and noble nature. It is the world's oldest surviving order of chivalry. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is headquartered in Rome, Italy, and is widely considered a sovereign subject of international law.
SMOM is the modern continuation of the original medieval order of Saint John of Jerusalem, known as the "Fraternitas Hospitalaria" and later as the Knights Hospitaller, a group founded in Jerusalem around the year 1050 as an Amalfitan hospital to provide care for poor and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, it became a military order under its own charter. Following the loss of Christian held territories of the Holy Land to Muslims, the order operated from Rhodes (1310–1523), and later from Malta (1530–1798), over which it was sovereign.

Today the order has about 13,000 members, including Knights and Dames as well as auxiliary members; 80,000 permanent volunteers; and 20,000 medical personnel including doctors, nurses, auxiliaries and paramedics in more than 120 countries. The goal is to assist the elderly, handicapped, refugeed, children, homeless, those with terminal illness and leprosy in all parts of the world, without distinction of race or religion. In several countries—including France, Germany and Ireland—the local associations of the order are important providers of first aid training, first aid services and emergency medical services. Through its worldwide relief corps—Malteser International—the order is also engaged to aid victims of natural disasters, epidemics and armed conflicts.

Uploaded

June 16th, 2015