The Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
The Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem is a federation of Protestant religious order
s in Europe that claim shared inheritance of the tradition of the mediaeval military
Knights Hospitaller
(the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem).
As explained by John Brooke-Little
decades later, the principal reason for the 1961 concordat was not ecumenism or brotherhood: it was signed because none of the few legitimate orders of St John could effectively shield themselves from the claims of the self-styled orders, while the legitimate orders themselves continuously debated among themselves which of them was legitimate. It was this concordat which led to establishment of the Alliance.
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
s in Europe that claim shared inheritance of the tradition of the mediaeval military
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
(the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem).
History
Set up in 1961 to encourage closer collaboration between its member orders in matters of common concern, the alliance comprises- The Johanniterorden (the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John), based in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; - The Venerable Order of Saint JohnVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
, based in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; - The Johanniter Orde, based in The Netherlands; and
- The Johanniterorden i Sverige, based in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
As explained by John Brooke-Little
John Brooke-Little
John Philip Rudolph Dominic Derek Aloysius Mary Brooke-Little, CVO, KStJ, FSA, FSG, FHS, FHG , FRHSC , FHSNZ, KM, GCGCO was an influential and popular British writer on heraldic subjects and a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
decades later, the principal reason for the 1961 concordat was not ecumenism or brotherhood: it was signed because none of the few legitimate orders of St John could effectively shield themselves from the claims of the self-styled orders, while the legitimate orders themselves continuously debated among themselves which of them was legitimate. It was this concordat which led to establishment of the Alliance.