Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller
Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum (For Faith, for Service to Humanity)
HRH Prince Vladimir Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia GCSJ with a photograph of his late uncle King Peter II.
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller is an international ecumenical Christian Order of Chivalry, with a rich heritage of defending and promoting the Christian Faith, and of caring for and helping the sick and those in need, regardless of race or religious faith.
The modern-day Order operates in terms of the Royal Charter granted to it by King Peter II of Yugoslavia in 1963 and the Constitution presented to it by King Peter in 1964. King Peter was subsequently elected Grand Master of the Order in 1965, but resigned in 1968 due to ill health. The Order thereafter continued with various administrations until, on 26th April 2002, HRH Prince Vladimir Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia, King Peter’s nephew, was elected Grand Master for life.
The Knights and Dames of the Order of today, while operating in terms of the Constitution given by King Peter in 1964, continue to retain a strong sense of the historic chivalric and hospitaller traditions of the original Order, which began life long before the first of the Christian Crusades, and continue to aid the sick and the disadvantaged, by giving practical, financial and spiritual support wherever it is needed.
A group of Knights and Dames of the Orde gather together following an Investiture hosted by the Priory of France in Nice
The Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller is composed of thirteen local units, being twelve Priories and one fully Independent Commandery, based in various countries and regions throughout the world, and these are listed below:
Priory of the Baltic
Priory of Central Europe Priory of England
Priory of Finland
Priory of France
Priory of Italy
Priory of Monaco
Priory of New South Wales Priory of Norway
Priory of Queensland
Priory of Scotland
Priory of Victoria
The Independent Commandery of Portugal
Grand Master HRH Prince Vladimir welcomes new Knights and Dames at a recent Investiture
Membership of the Order is by invitation, and is open to baptised Christians of excellent reputation and character who are committed to helping the sick and those in need, irrespective of race or religious beliefs. The Order is founded on the chivalric principles of putting others before self. The Knights and Dames of the Order seek to serve the disadvantaged in their communities, just as the original ‘Hospitaller Knights’ vowed to do, some 900 years ago.
A group of Knight and Dames gather at the conclusion of the Priory of England Investiture
The motto of our Order clearly sets out our aims of defending the Christian faith and helping mankind both practically and spiritually;
PRO FIDE, PRO UTILITATE HOMINUM
(For Faith, For Service to Humanity)
