(Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, Malta)
Det Danske Commandery Dagmar
Ordenen blev startet i Jerusalem under navnet Ordenen af Sankt Johannes af Jerusalem som en af de tre store ridderordener under korstogstiden. Ordenen af Sankt Johannes koncentrerede sig primært om drift af hospitaler, langs pilgrimsruterne fra Europa til Jerusalem, for syge og trængende, og kan på den måde siges at være verdens første verdensomspændende humanitære organisation. For at forsvare de pilgrimme og kongedømmet af Jerusalem, blev der også udviklet en militær del, og Ordenen fik efter hånden tilnavnet Hospitals Riddere.
Efter en rejse fra Jerusalem via Cypern og Rhodos etablerede ordenen sig på Malta i 1530. Som leje for øen skulle ordenen give den Spanske konge en Malteserfalk hvert år på allehelgensdag, deraf tilnavnet, som er kendt i hele verden i dag; Malteser Riddere. Ordenen regerede på Malta frem til 1798 og har derefter etableret sig i moderne tid i store dele af verdenen med mange forgreninger som verdens ældste humanitære organisation.
Commandery Dagmar hører til den russiske tradition indenfor Malteser/Johanitter Riddere, da en del riddere af Ordenen søgte tilflugt i Rusland efter Napoleon invaderede Malta i 1798 og senere spredte sig til hele verden via USA. Du kan også læse mere om vor baggrund og historie ved at klikke på de enkelte undersider "I Danmark" og "Internationalt" eller på vores søster organisationers hjemmesider rundt om i verden.
The order was started in Jerusalem under the name Order of St. John of Jerusalem. It was one of the three great Knights of chivalry during the Crusader period. The Order of Saint John concentrated primarily on the operation of hospitals, along the pilgrimage routes from Europe to Jerusalem, for sufferers and needy, and was this way the world's first worldwide humanitarian organization. To defend the pilgrims and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a military part was developed, and the order was eventually nicknamed the Hospitaller Knights.
After a journey from Jerusalem through Cyprus and Rhodes, the Order was established in Malta in 1530. As a lease for the island, the order would give the Spanish king a Maltese Falcon every year on All Saints Day, hence the nickname, which is known throughout the world today; Maltese Knights. The order ruled in Malta until 1798 and has then established itself in modern times in large parts of the world with many ramifications as the world's oldest humanitarian organization.
After Napoleon invaded Malta in 1798 and spread the knights, a lot of them sought refuge in Russia, where they continued the service as Knights Hospitaller. Later they spread to most of the world. Commandery Dagmar belongs to the Russian branch. You can read more about our background and history by clicking on the individual subpages "in Denmark" and "international" or on our sister organizations websites around the world.
