Kingdom Of Heaven - 20th Century Fox
n 600, Abbot Probus was commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to build a hostel in Jerusalem to treat and care for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. In 800, Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, enlarged Probus' hostel and added a library to it. Unfortunately, about 200 years later, in 1005, Caliph El Hakim, destroyed the hostel in addition to 3000 other buildings. He made the Christians wear wooden crosses, half a meter long by half a meter wide, around their necks. Although Christians were not allowed to buy slaves, male or female, and had few other privileges, they were allowed to ride horses on the condition that they ride with wooden saddles and unornamented girths. Ironically, El Hakim's mother was Christian. In 1023, merchants from Amalfi and Salerno in Italy were given permission by the Caliph Haroun el Raschid of Egypt to rebuild the hospice in Jerusalem. The hospice, which was built on the site of the monastery of Saint John the Baptist, took in Christian pilgrims traveling to visit the birthplace of Jesus. It was served by Benedictine Brothers.

The Hospitaller order was founded by the Blessed Gerard, following the First Crusade. Gerard’s role as founder was confirmed by Papal bull of Pope Paschal II in 1113. Gerard obtained territory and revenues for his order throughout the Kingdom of Jerusalem and beyond. His successor, Raymond du Puy of Provence, founded the first significant Hospitaller infirmary near to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. At first, the group only cared for those pilgrims who made it to Jerusalem, but the order soon extended into providing an armed escort to pilgrims. The escort soon grew into a substantial force.