Grand Priory for France and Alsace (big Prior f’r Frànkrich ùn s’Elsàss)
– GP of France
Historical Summary of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
– St Lazarus Order
The order of Saint Lazarus finds its origin in the leper colony of the Armenians, installed long before the Crusades outside the walls of Jerusalem, near the Saint-Etienne gate. In 1090, the monks of this leper colony formed an Order under the direction of of their oldest known Grand Master, an Alsatian, Blessed Gérard, from the line of the counts of Dabo-Eguisheim, which for a long time was wrongly called “TENQUE”. Fourteen years later, this Blessed Gerard also created the order of Saint John (ie. “Malta”). Members of other orders of chivalry, if they were struck by leprosy, were treated by their colleagues of Saint Lazarus who integrated them into their ranks. To defend their lazaretto and the Holy Places, the Knights of Saint Lazarus took part in many battles.
The kings of France were generous with the Order, Saint Louis giving it the port of Aigues-Mortes, for his Mediterranean vessels to fight the barbaresques and Louis XIV that of Saint-Malo for the Ponant fleet intended for the racing war. In return, the Order was entrusted with the organization of the Navy, the Military School and the administration of the hospitals and “Maisons-Dieu” of the kingdom by Louis XIV, who particularly cherished him as “the oldest”. Hospitaller Order of Christendom ”
The Order of Saint Lazarus was therefore ecumenical from its inception and throughout history. It is honored to count today among its members Cardinal Liénard, Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop of New York, Admiral Lacaze, Commander Yann Cariou, Captain of the Hermione, etc. Currently, the Order has more than five thousand members in more than forty countries. Its Grand Master is HE Don Francisco de Borbon Graf von Hardenberg, who ensures that the Order remains faithful to its traditions. : chivalrous spirit, unity of Christians and hospital actions (in India, Armenia, Romania, Benin, Madagascar, Cameroon, Haiti, Lebanon, etc.).
Site of the International Order:
https://www.st-lazarus.net/en/
Site of the Grand Priory of France:
Site of the Grand Bailliage of France:
Raoul Follereau Foundation website:
For more information: see the site
Postal address for France :
Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
10, drive to the Training Field
75116 Paris