Eleventh Century Jerusalem

Today in Jerusalem the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital treats thousands of people every year. The hospital is part of a story which began over 900 years ago in that same city when...

...growing numbers of Christians were making the long and difficult pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Many arrived weak and ill, and to care for them, a small hospital was set up close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The hospital was run by monks from the local Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary.

Holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims, Jerusalem has been fought over many times. In 1099 the armies of the First Crusade captured the city from its Muslim rulers and established a Christian kingdom. This encouraged more pilgrims to make the journey.

And as their work became better known, the brothers of the hospital received gifts of money and land. Increasingly wealthy, and with their special nursing role, the brothers moved away from their Benedictine origins. This was accepted by the Pope and the new Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem was confirmed in 1113.

Hospitallers, both brothers and sisters, took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and their special task was to care for the sick.