The Crusaders

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon are known to history as the Knights Templar. They were among the most wealthy and powerful of all the Western military orders and were at the forefront of Christian finance for the 200 years of their existence. Officially endorsed by the Catholic Church around 1129, the Knights Templar grew rapidly in membership and ITS knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, are the most potent image of the Crusades.

'Help, Defend, Heal' was the motto of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem. Known as the Teutonic Order, it was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals.

The dramatic story of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, known as the Knights Hospitaller, from their foundation in 1099 and their care for the sick to their evolution into a military order.