In the early 11th century, a group of merchants from the Amalfi Coast of Italy

received permission from the Caliph of Egypt to rebuild a church in hospital in Jerusalem

to care for pilgrims to the Holy Land. They called themselves the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

Fast forward almost a thousand years later, and this group still exists.

Not only do they still exist, but they have a unique status in the world of international diplomacy.

Learn more about the Knights of Malta and their thousand-year history on this episode of

Everything Everywhere Daily. And the There are very few organizations that can claim a lineage of almost a thousand years.

Most countries aren't even that old.

Yet there is one organization that can make that

claim. They are officially known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaler Order of

St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.

The origins of this order date back to the 11th century, almost 50 years before the start of the

first crusade.

I point this out because Christian monastic military orders are strongly associated with the Crusades.

However, the Hospitallers were founded well before the Crusades began.

The first hospital in Jerusalem was constructed in the year 603 by the order of Pope Gregory the first.

Its purpose was to take care of pilgrims to the Holy Land.

And a hospital at this time was more than just a medical building, but an entire compound with churches, housing, and commercial quarters.

Emperor Charlemagne expanded it in the year 800, adding a library and other structures.

However, in 1009, it was destroyed by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hacim beer Amarala.

However, in the year 1020, the new Fatimid Caliph Ali Azazir gave permission to a group of merchants from the Amalfi Coast to

rebuild the hospital. Monks of the Benedicting order managed the day-to-day

...