THE VARIOUS ORDERS OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
Part 1
Because accuracy is important, the reader is informed that all statements and data in the three parts of this article are derived from the following sources which may be found in most large libraries The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), The New Catholic Encyclopedia, the Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, The Catholic Yearbook (various years), and scholars such as Friedrich Heer, D.W. Wyndham Lewis, Herbert Thurston, Donald Attwater, Jonathan Zophy, Runciman, and popular historians such as the Gies and Barbara Tuchman, as well as private correspondence and, of course, tradition.
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The great devotion of Christians to Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre has resulted in the founding of various Sepulchre Guards, Honor Bodies, and Orders honoring the military valor of the Knights of old who defended Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre against the Saracens. Veneration of the Sacred Tomb of Christ dates back to ancient Christians who regarded the Sepulchre as the holiest of all holy places because the greatest of all great miracles occurred there--the conquering of death by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The First Order
According to Tradition, St. James the Lesser, an Apostle and the first Bishop of Jerusalem established the first guards for the Holy Sepulchre. However, historians commonly hold that Emperor Constantine the Great founded the first Sepulchre Order after his mother, Helena, discovered the Holy Cross in her archaeological diggings in Jerusalem in 325 A.D. In celebration, the Emperor Constantine built a great Church on the site where Christ had been buried. The Church survives to this day, although it has been modified and enlarged through the millennia. To guard and maintain the holy Site and to care for Christian pilgrims, Constantine founded the original Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. Since knighthood developed out of the Crusades, the term "knight" was 700 years in the future, and these Brothers were not known as "knights." However, the Brothers did have an insignia:
This cross with four smaller crosses between the limbs represented the four corners of the world from which Christians were arriving in Jerusalem to reunite themselves in the land of Christ. This Cross became the emblem of Jerusalem itself, hence the name Jerusalem Cross.
The Eastern Orthodox and Latin (Roman Catholic) Orders
In 451, the Bishop of Jerusalem was named Patriarch by the Council of Calcedonia, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem assumed control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which control he still exerts to this day. The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem was the leader of the Byzantine Guards of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1099 came the Crusaders from the West who were of the Latin (or, Roman Catholic) Church, not of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and a Latin Guard of the Holy Sepulchre was then founded. Thus, two Guards of the Holy Sepulchre developed, one under the authority of the original Orthodox Patriarch and the other under the authority of the Latin Pope at Rome. It is from these two organizations that the concept of an "Order of the Holy Sepulchre" later developed. After the fall of Constantinople, the Orthodox Order declined in numbers, until this day when but a handful of monks still guard and maintain the Holy Sepulchre itself, while another Order of Orthodox origin (The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, f. 1982) maintains the old Chivalric tradition.
The Various Roman Catholic Orders
The Roman Catholic Guard declined also, and eventually disappeared, although revivals were made in 1496, 1746, and 1868. Briefly, in 1496, Pope Alexander VI authorized the Franciscan Friars of Mount Zion to give the honorary title of ³Knight of the Holy Sepulchre² to visiting pilgrims. In 1746, Pope Benedict sold diplomas of Knight of the Holy Sepulchre (for about $2,000, a considerable sum in the mid-18th century). In 1868, Pope Pius IX granted the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem the authority to appoint Knights to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The modern Roman Catholic Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre was finally "reestablished" in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII but the Order fell into disuse and was again reformed with a new constitution in 1907 by Pope Pius X. There followed several decades of little and no activity, and the Order was again given a new constitution in 1932 by Pope Pius XII. The Roman Catholic Equestrian Order was again "reformed" in 1976 by Pope Paul VI and given a new Charter which altered the purpose and character of the Order. In the 1940s, the Pope relinquished the Grand Magistery to a Cardinal appointee, and the Equestrian Order is not now under Papal protection.
Certain adherents of this Roman Catholic Sepulchre Order insist that only the Roman Catholic Order is authentic, and these adherents further claim a "continual existence" for the Order. In fact, it is quite clear to objective historians that the modern Equestrian (Roman Catholic) Order cannot claim sole authenticity, cannot lay claim to great antiquity, cannot attempt to take precedence over other Orders, and cannot pronounce on the validity of other Orders. It is also clear that each reestablishment and each reformation marks the epoch of a new Papal Order so that actually there have been a series of Roman Catholic "Sepulchre" Orders with a variety of purposes and with a wide range of membership requirements, depending upon each charter newly issued. These several reestablishment and rechartering dates show that the modern Equestrian Order cannot lay claim to great antiquity. Indeed, the nature of the modern Equestrian Order has altered so radically that, notwithstanding Equestrian Order member claims to the contrary, a modern authority such as the Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (1995) identifies the Roman Catholic Equestrian Order as a "fraternal organization." In 1990, the Roman Catholic Bishops of England, in response to an inquiry from the British Foreign Office, identified the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre as a "church award," whereupon Great Britain withdrew its recognition of the Order as an Order of Chivalry and does not permit British citizens to wear the Order's decorations.
Other European Orders
Various European Orders of the Holy Sepulchre were established in honor of the original Sepulchre Guard. King Louis VII established an Order of the Holy Sepulchre, but it was dissolved by Charles II. Another 18th Century French Order disappeared during the French Revolution. The Bourbon monarchy attempted a revival, but it was abolished in 1824. King Henry II of England established an Order in 1174, but it was so thoroughly erased by anti-Catholic King Henry VIII in 1534 that only tradition remains as a record of that Order's very existence. A Polish Order was established in 1291, but it was abolished by the Emperor Alexander I in 1818. A Spanish Order was instituted in 1664 and was awarded Papal recognition in 1805; however, it is restricted to Zaragoza, Spain. Since 1954, this Order in Zaragoza numbers but a few Knights who serve as Guards of Honor in the religious ceremonies of the Zaragoza diocese.
To go to Part 2 of this History, click HERE
To go to Part 3 of this History, click HERE
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More About The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
To go to links where you can learn more about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, click HERE.
© 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced in any manner or by any means, including electronic, without prior written permission of the copyright holder. The person who retrieves this article may archive the file and may print a single copy for archival purposes.
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The great devotion of Christians to Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre has resulted in the founding of various Sepulchre Guards, Honor Bodies, and Orders honoring the military valor of the Knights of old who defended Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre against the Saracens. Veneration of the Sacred Tomb of Christ dates back to ancient Christians who regarded the Sepulchre as the holiest of all holy places because the greatest of all great miracles occurred there--the conquering of death by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The First Order
According to Tradition, St. James the Lesser, an Apostle and the first Bishop of Jerusalem established the first guards for the Holy Sepulchre. However, historians commonly hold that Emperor Constantine the Great founded the first Sepulchre Order after his mother, Helena, discovered the Holy Cross in her archaeological diggings in Jerusalem in 325 A.D. In celebration, the Emperor Constantine built a great Church on the site where Christ had been buried. The Church survives to this day, although it has been modified and enlarged through the millennia. To guard and maintain the holy Site and to care for Christian pilgrims, Constantine founded the original Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. Since knighthood developed out of the Crusades, the term "knight" was 700 years in the future, and these Brothers were not known as "knights." However, the Brothers did have an insignia:
This cross with four smaller crosses between the limbs represented the four corners of the world from which Christians were arriving in Jerusalem to reunite themselves in the land of Christ. This Cross became the emblem of Jerusalem itself, hence the name Jerusalem Cross.
The Eastern Orthodox and Latin (Roman Catholic) Orders
In 451, the Bishop of Jerusalem was named Patriarch by the Council of Calcedonia, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem assumed control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which control he still exerts to this day. The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem was the leader of the Byzantine Guards of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1099 came the Crusaders from the West who were of the Latin (or, Roman Catholic) Church, not of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and a Latin Guard of the Holy Sepulchre was then founded. Thus, two Guards of the Holy Sepulchre developed, one under the authority of the original Orthodox Patriarch and the other under the authority of the Latin Pope at Rome. It is from these two organizations that the concept of an "Order of the Holy Sepulchre" later developed. After the fall of Constantinople, the Orthodox Order declined in numbers, until this day when but a handful of monks still guard and maintain the Holy Sepulchre itself, while another Order of Orthodox origin (The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, f. 1982) maintains the old Chivalric tradition.
The Various Roman Catholic Orders
The Roman Catholic Guard declined also, and eventually disappeared, although revivals were made in 1496, 1746, and 1868. Briefly, in 1496, Pope Alexander VI authorized the Franciscan Friars of Mount Zion to give the honorary title of ³Knight of the Holy Sepulchre² to visiting pilgrims. In 1746, Pope Benedict sold diplomas of Knight of the Holy Sepulchre (for about $2,000, a considerable sum in the mid-18th century). In 1868, Pope Pius IX granted the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem the authority to appoint Knights to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The modern Roman Catholic Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre was finally "reestablished" in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII but the Order fell into disuse and was again reformed with a new constitution in 1907 by Pope Pius X. There followed several decades of little and no activity, and the Order was again given a new constitution in 1932 by Pope Pius XII. The Roman Catholic Equestrian Order was again "reformed" in 1976 by Pope Paul VI and given a new Charter which altered the purpose and character of the Order. In the 1940s, the Pope relinquished the Grand Magistery to a Cardinal appointee, and the Equestrian Order is not now under Papal protection.
Certain adherents of this Roman Catholic Sepulchre Order insist that only the Roman Catholic Order is authentic, and these adherents further claim a "continual existence" for the Order. In fact, it is quite clear to objective historians that the modern Equestrian (Roman Catholic) Order cannot claim sole authenticity, cannot lay claim to great antiquity, cannot attempt to take precedence over other Orders, and cannot pronounce on the validity of other Orders. It is also clear that each reestablishment and each reformation marks the epoch of a new Papal Order so that actually there have been a series of Roman Catholic "Sepulchre" Orders with a variety of purposes and with a wide range of membership requirements, depending upon each charter newly issued. These several reestablishment and rechartering dates show that the modern Equestrian Order cannot lay claim to great antiquity. Indeed, the nature of the modern Equestrian Order has altered so radically that, notwithstanding Equestrian Order member claims to the contrary, a modern authority such as the Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (1995) identifies the Roman Catholic Equestrian Order as a "fraternal organization." In 1990, the Roman Catholic Bishops of England, in response to an inquiry from the British Foreign Office, identified the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre as a "church award," whereupon Great Britain withdrew its recognition of the Order as an Order of Chivalry and does not permit British citizens to wear the Order's decorations.
Other European Orders
Various European Orders of the Holy Sepulchre were established in honor of the original Sepulchre Guard. King Louis VII established an Order of the Holy Sepulchre, but it was dissolved by Charles II. Another 18th Century French Order disappeared during the French Revolution. The Bourbon monarchy attempted a revival, but it was abolished in 1824. King Henry II of England established an Order in 1174, but it was so thoroughly erased by anti-Catholic King Henry VIII in 1534 that only tradition remains as a record of that Order's very existence. A Polish Order was established in 1291, but it was abolished by the Emperor Alexander I in 1818. A Spanish Order was instituted in 1664 and was awarded Papal recognition in 1805; however, it is restricted to Zaragoza, Spain. Since 1954, this Order in Zaragoza numbers but a few Knights who serve as Guards of Honor in the religious ceremonies of the Zaragoza diocese.
To go to Part 2 of this History, click HERE
To go to Part 3 of this History, click HERE
To return to the main page, click HERE
More About The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
To go to links where you can learn more about The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, click HERE.
© 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced in any manner or by any means, including electronic, without prior written permission of the copyright holder. The person who retrieves this article may archive the file and may print a single copy for archival purposes.