palestine crusaders

The origin of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem is shrouded in mystery but was clearly established long before the first crusade, circa 1050 A.D. Some theories trace the origin of our sacred Order as early as the late Roman Empire beginning with Constantine the First, the first Christian Roman emperor, to certainly some time in the eleventh century. What we can say for certain is that when the crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, the hospital had been in operation for decades caring for the sick and poor, Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike. At that time, it was ruled by a monk who was known as the Blessed Gerard who offered the Hospital’s services to the victims as well as the crusaders. The Hospital was a "stone's throw" from the Holy Sephulcre, originally built by the mother of Emperor Constantine in 330 A.D. which commemorates the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial.

20th Century Ruins of the Hospital

Today's Muristan of the Hospital location in Jerusalem

Holy Sephulcre today

The hospital was operated under the Benedictine rule, but was able to free itself from their influence and establish themselves as a separate Religious Order. In 1113, Pope Paschal II issued a papal bull confirming the foundation of the Order of the Hospitallers. Gerard’s successor, Raymond du Puy was responsible for establishing the Military wing of the order in response to emerging conflicts, and the creation of the Military Order of the Temple of Solomon, or the Knights Templar. The Military Order of the Hospitallers quickly grew into a major force in the Holy Land and, along with the Templars, which provided the forces for the defense of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. A bitter rivalry developed between the Hospitallers and Templars, once almost breaking out into a civil war. The two orders detested each other so much that they could only be convinced to go into battle side by side under the most dire of circumstances, such as the Battle of Hattin. But both were targets of Saladin. After Hattin, Saladin paid 50 gold pieces each for every member of the two orders whom his followers had captured. He then had them all executed.

After the loss of Jerusalem, and the hospital, the few remaining Hospitallers retreated to their frontier fortresses to wait for another crusade to retake the city. That came two years later when Kings Richard the Lionheart and Phillip arrived and laid siege to the city of Acre, an important port for reaching Jerusalem. The Hospitallers joined the siege, and after two years, the Christian forces captured the city. The Order established a new hospital and headquarters in Acre (today Akko). The Hospitallers, headquartered in Acre, continued to care for the sick and poor and give shelter to pilgrims, while defending the tiny outposts of Christendom from their fortresses in Syria and Palestine until the crusaders were finally evicted from the Holy Land in 1291. A most interesting and recent movie depicting some of these events was produced called 'Kingdom of Heaven.'

The headquarters of Acre, built similar to the Hospitaller quarters that would emerge decades later in Rhodes.

Akko National Park can be viewed today by visitors. It is a magnificent structure.

The small band of Hospitallers left after the seige of Acre, moved residence to the island of Cyprus where they would remain for nearly two hundred years and leave a lasting legacy.

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Apollonia-Arsuf - A Crusader City and Fortress on the Mediterranean Coast

The Crusader city and fortress, now known as Apollonia-Arsuf, were built on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, some 15 km. north of modern Tel Aviv.

Arsuf also known as Arsur or Apollonia, was an ancient city and fortress located in Israel, about 15 kilometres north of modern Tel Aviv, on a cliff above the Mediterranean Sea. The city site, Tel Arsuf, was intensively excavated from 1994. In 2002 it became Apollonia National Park.

In 1101 Arsuf fell to a Crusader army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem. The Crusaders, who called it Arsur, rebuilt the city's walls and created the Lordship of Arsur in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1187 Arsuf was captured by the Muslims, but fell again to the Crusaders on September 7, 1191 after a battle between Richard I of England and Saladin.

John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut (1177—1236) became Lord of Arsur in 1207 when he married Melisende of Arsur (born c.1170). Their son John of Arsur (c.1211—1258) inherited the title. The title then passed to John of Arsur's eldest son Balian (1239—1277). He built new walls, the big fortress and new harbor (1241). From 1261, the city was ruled by the Knights Hospitaller.

In 1265 sultan Baibars, ruler of the Mamluks, captured Arsur, after 40 days of siege. The Mamluks razed the city walls and the fortress to their foundations, fearing a return of the Crusaders. The destruction was so complete that the site has not been resettled since.

CAESARIA- from Roman City to Crusader Fortress

Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast, about midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Archeological excavations during the 1950s and 1960s uncovered remains from many periods, in particular, a complex of fortifications of the Crusader city and the Roman theater. Founded by King Herod in the first century BCE on the site of a Phoenician and Greek trade post known as Stratons Tower, Caesarea was named for Herods Roman patron, Augustus Caesar. This city was described in detail by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.

Caesarea played an important role in early Christian history. Here the baptism of the Roman officer Cornelius took place; (Acts 10:1-5, 25-28) from here Paul set sail for his journeys in the eastern Mediterranean; and here he was taken prisoner and sent to Rome for trial. (Acts 23:23-24)

Caesarea was captured by Saladin in 1187 after only a short siege. It was retaken in 1191 by Richard the Lion Heart, King of England, who exiled the Muslim inhabitants.

The end of Crusader Caesarea came in 1265, when the Mamluk Sultan Baybars attacked the city. After a short siege, the Crusader defenders gave up hope and evacuated the city. The conquering Mamluks, fearing a return of the Crusaders, razed the citys fortifications to the ground.

Caesarea is a most impressive archeological site, open to the public. One can visit the Roman-period theater, King Herods palace, the amphitheater and much more. One can also cross the moat, enter the restored Crusader city and look towards the harbor from the top of the podium.