Our modern Sovereign Order of St. John is an ecumenical, international, Christian organization directly descended from the close collaboration of Crusader Knights with the Hospitaller activities at the Hospice founded before the turn of the 12th Century by Amalfi merchants for pilgrims in Jerusalem. The resultant Knights Hospitaller Organization was recognized as an Order of Chivalry by Pope Pascal II in a Papal Bull dated February 15, 1113. The Sovereign Order strongly influenced history in the Holy Land, Rhodes and Malta over the next six tumultuous centuries, and established itself in its hospitaller role as well. Our modern Sovereign Order of St. John descends from the Russian Priories established by Grand Master Tsar Paul I of all the Russias who, following the conquest of Malta by Napoleon in 1798, welcomed the Sovereign Order. Today, the Knights and Dames of the Sovereign Order have a strong sense of its history and Hospitaller traditions. We believe in the need to support local charities and to deliver benefits for the sick and poor in Christ, both in a material and spiritual sense.