Initially focused on providing medical care, the Hospitallers took on a military role after the Crusaders captured Jerusalem. They became known as the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, defending the Holy Land and protecting pilgrims.
The Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem is registered as a charity in the appropriate nation of each Grand Priory, and carries out humanitarian and hospitaller activities worldwide, tending to the sick, the poor and the homeless, as well as those affected by war and famine.
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