Papal knights once rode into battle, but not today

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

"Prepare to defend yourself."

We all know about knighthood. Since the middle ages, we have thrilled to stories of knights and their ladies, escapades of the quest and the manners of chivalry.

The church has paid a large role in the world of knighthood since the 11th century. Many orders of knights were founded by popes or under religious auspices - for the purpose of war and defense, for awards of honor and even for medical purposes. Some of these orders are long gone, but others still exist.

Those that still exist serve the purpose of honoring or defending the church and its work, but do not often ride off into military battle. Since St. Michael - the captain of the angels, whose feast day used to be Sept. 29 (now the feast of the archangels) - is often portrayed as a knight, his former feast day seems a good time to look at knighthood.

Knighthood in church history can be broken into four main categories:

Papal orders in church

These orders often have roots in hospital work, often tied to military work. Today, membership is an honor awarded by the Pope, though the actual documents are signed by the Vatican Secretary of State.

• The oldest of the orders of knighthood date to the Crusades (1095-1291). The oldest are the Knights of Malta, which were first called the Order of the Hospital of St. John. They began around 1070 in Jerusalem as a hospital order serving pilgrims to the Holy Land. During the First Crusade (1095-1099), they became a military order to defend Jerusalem against the Muslims.

After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the order was forced to move several times, and changed their name as they moved. In 1530, they were given a place in Malta. Since losing Malta to Napoleon in 1798, they have had no territory; however, they maintain a sovereign status under international law. The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta is under the protection of the pope. Membership is by solicitation only.

• The next oldest order is the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher. It has some distant roots in the Benedictine order, but was formalized in the early 12th century to defend the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. After Jerusalem fell, the order seems to have worked with the Franciscans in the Holy Land, but was not reconstituted until 1847 by Pope Pius IX, when he established the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. Those named to the order - who can be men or women (women are called Dames) - are approved by the pope and arranged into five ranks. Members follow a code of chivalry and support efforts in the Holy Land.

• Knights Templar no longer exist - despite popular fiction. They began as a military order in Jerusalem in the 12th century, called the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, since they were given quarters near the supposed site of the old Temple. While they worked to defend the holy sites from invaders and held the last Christian stronghold there until 1291, the order became secretive and interested in power and money. Pope Clement V suppressed the order in 1312.

• Teutonic Order traces back to a German military order that went to defend the Holy Land just before the fall of the last crusader stronghold in 1291. They returned to Germany and conducted many military campaigns, finally settling in Prussia and then Austria. It became largely secular in nature until it was reformed in 1929 as a religious order. Its members are priests, and men and women in religious life, and it is based in Vienna.

Papal honors

These differ from military orders and are given for service to the pope or to the church in general. They are titles of honor and each receives specific medals. They also receive specific honors while at the Vatican, and at their funerals, and are considered knights (or dames.) There are national associations of them in France, Great Britain and the U.S.

• The Order of Christ dates to its institution by the King of Portugal in 1318. It is awarded only to male Catholic sovereigns and heads of state. It is rarely given and the Vatican says there are currently no living members.

• The Order of the Golden Spur is also rare and limited to 100 knights at a time. It is given only to Christian heads of state and sovereigns. It has been called the Golden Militia and the Order of St. Sylvester and dates to 1841.

• The modern Order of St. Sylvester was separated from the Golden Spur in 1905 and is now given for achievement in support of the church and its work. It is sometimes awarded to non-Catholics.

• The Order of Pius IX, dating to 1847, is the most commonly awarded papal order. It has several ranks and is often given to visiting heads of state, Vatican ambassadors and for outstanding service to the church and the world. It is awarded to men and women, to non-Catholics and even non-Christians.

• The Order of St. Gregory the Great dates to 1831 and has civil and military branches. It can be awarded, for conspicuous service, to anyone.

Fraternal Orders

Fraternal orders of knights - such as the Knights of Columbus - are not appointed by the pope. They are social groups formed to provide service for Catholic members or in the name of the Church. The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest fraternal organization, was founded in 1882, to provide life insurance to Catholic men. Members are not appointed, but apply for membership.

Other Catholic fraternal organizations include the Knights of Saint Columba (U.K.), the Knights of the Southern Cross (Australia), the Knights of Peter Claver (U.S.), the Knights of St. Thomas the Apostle (Pakistan), the Knights of St. Columbanus (Ireland) and the Knights of Saint Virgil (Austria).