The Knights Hospitaller was a religious order of
monks who based themselves in Jerusalem in order to take care of
pilgrims who had made the arduous journey from Europe to the
Holy Land.
For many Christians a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land was an important part of their lives. Even before the fall
of Jerusalem they travelled from all over Europe to reach the
Holy City. Many pilgrims were attacked and killed as they made
their way across the Middle East, but those who reached
Jerusalem were often starving, weak and poor. A group of monks
led by Gerard, a knight from Provence, set up a hospital to
attend to the needy pilgrims. This hospital was named after St.
John the Compassionate, a Patriarch of Alexandria. The monks who
worked in the hospital lived under a strict rule and accepted no
luxuries. The order of monks became known as the Knights
Hospitaller.
The Hospitallers were able to run their affairs
from donations given to them by travellers or others who just
wanted to support their good work. After Jerusalem was captured
the new rulers of the city recognised the work that the monks
did and granted them land so that they could have a steady
income.
In 1113 A Papal Bull (a formal proclamation
issued by the pope) recognised and named the Knights
Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem as an independent
religious order.
The Hospitaller order inspired the foundation of
another group of knights called the Knights Templar, based in
and around Jerusalem, whose purpose was to protect the pilgrims
as they travelled towards the Holy City of Jerusalem.
Virtual Buildings
Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as
they may have appeared in the past.
Explore the bailey and wooden tower keep of a Norman motte and bailey
castle
Explore all four floors of a Norman square keep similar to Dover
Castle that was built in the twelfth century.
Explore a siege landscape and learn about the siege engines used to
destroy a castle.
Explore a reconstruction of Stokesay Castle, a fortified manor house
from the fifteenth century.