The Sovereign Order of Malta

Sometimes affectionately known as "the world's smallest country," the official name of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, or in Italian, the Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta. Most commonly its members are known as the Knights of Malta. The Order is a Roman Catholic lay religious order. Its members traditionally are from the nobility, though not necessarily so. Some consider SMOM to be the world's oldest surviving order of chivalry (Guy Stair Sainty. World Orders of Knighthood and Merit. Burkes. 2006.).

The Order is headquartered in Rome on sovereign soil, making it the world's smallest sovereign state. It has diplomatic relations with many countries. However, it is not universally accepted as a sovereign state by all nations. The United Kingdom, for example, does not recognize the Order's sovereignty. Some find this ironic, considering that the 79th and 78th Grand Masters of the Order were British.

SMOM purports to be the modern continuation of the medieval order of Saint John of Jerusalem, better known to history as the Knights Hospitaller and founded in Jerusalem about 1050. This was stated in the Joint Declaration of SMOM and the Alliance Orders of Saint John in 2004. The original purpose of this order was to provide care for the poor and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land. Following the 1099 the conquest of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the order became military in nature. Following the loss of Christian held territories of the Holy Land to Muslims, the order retreated and operated from Rhodes from 1310–1523. Later the order operated from Malta (1530–1798), over which it was sovereign. However, there are other claimants to the successorship of the Order of St. John, including an old Russian royal family and the British. The Russian claimants were under the Grand Mastership of a Russian Count resident in New York, USA, Count Bobrinski, and the British claimants became the Venerable Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, chartered by Queen Victoria. SMOM is one of the two orders of chivalry, however, that possess official diplomatic recognition from the Holy See. It also holds permanent observer status at the United Nations.

The proceedings of the Order are governed by its Constitutional Charter and the Order's Code. It is divided internationally into six territorial Grand Priories, six Sub-Priories, and 47 national associations.

The Order is governed by its Grand Master, who is elected for life. Since 1630, he holds the same rank and precedence of a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. In 1607, the office was given the rank of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. These two special honors have been combined to give the unique style of address for the Order of Malta's Grand Master, "His Most Eminent Highness" (Noonan, Jr., James-Charles. The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. Viking. 1996; and HJA Sire. The Knights of Malta. Yale University Press. 1994.). SMOM is further sub-divided around the world into a large number of local priories and associations around the world.

Knights of the Order have a complex array of insignia and heraldic privileges. In heraldry, the shield is surrounded with a silver rosary for professed knights, or for others the ribbon of their rank. Members may also display the Maltese Cross behind their shield instead of the ribbon.

The Order of Malta is divided into several classes of members:

Knights of justice, or Professed Knights
These Knights of Malta take religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and form essentially a religious order.
Until the 1990s, this class of membership was restricted to members of families with proven noble titles.

Knights of Obedience
These knights make a promise, rather than a vow, of obedience.
This class was also historically restricted to the nobility until the 1990s.

Knights of Honour and Devotion
No vows are taken. Some proof of nobility is required.

Knights of Grace and Devotion
No vows are taken. Some proof of nobility is required, but the standard is less stenuous than for the above category.

Knights of Magistral Grace
No vows are taken.
This category of knight need not prove noble lineage.
This is the most common form of Knight of Malta in the United States

Ranks of the Knights of Malta
Within each of the above categorys, Knights rank as follows:

Bailiff Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross

Knight Commander

Knight Officer

Knight

Donat (Justice class only)

It was once required that officers of the Order of Malta had to be of noble birth, specifically of armigerous families for at least a hundred years. This is because all officers were Knights of Justice or Obedience. Since the 1990s it has been permitted for Knights of Magistral Grace, despite their lack of noble birth, to take the Promise of Obedience and, with the permission of the Sovereign Grand Master and Sovereign Council, may enter the novitiate to become professed Knights of Justice. It is generally held that there are, worldwide, over 13,000 knights and dames of Malta. Only a small number of these are professed religious. Membership of the Order of Malta is by invitation only and solicitations are not entertained.

Venerable Bailiff Knights Grand Cross of Justice Professed of Solemn Vows
Knights Grand Cross of Justice Professed of Solemn Vows
Commanders of Justice Professed of Solemn Vows
Knights of Justice Professed of Solemn Vows
Knights Grand Cross of Justice Professed of Simple Vows
Knights admitted to the Novitiate
Conventual Chaplains Grand Cross Professed of Solemn Religious Vows
Conventual Chaplains Professed of Solemn Religious Vows
Conventual Chaplains Professed of Simple Religious Vows

Bailiff Knights Grand Cross in Obedience
Knights and Dames Grand Cross in Obedience
Knights and Dames in Obedience
Donatus of Justice

Bailiff Knights Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion with Profession Cross ad honorem
Bailiff Knights Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion
Knights and Dames Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion
Knights of Honours and Devotion owner of Commandery of Family Patronage
Knights and Dames of Honour and Devotion
Bailiff Knights Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion for Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Conventual Chaplians Grand Cross Cappellano ad honorem
Conventual Chaplains ad honorem

Knights Grand Cross of Grace and Devotion with Sash
Knights and Dames Grand Cross of Grace and Devotion
Knights and Dames of Grace and Devotion

Knights Grand Cross of Magistral Grace with Sash
Knights and Dames Grand Cross of Magistral Grace
Knights and Dames of Magistral Grace

Donatus of Devotion I class
Donatus of Devotion II class
Donatus of Devotion III class

Collar of the Order pro Merito Melitensi Pro Merito Melitensi Collar - Military Class
Pro Merito Melitensi Collar - Civilian Class

Military Class Grand Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi – special class
Grand Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Grand Officer Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Commander Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Officer Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi – special class
Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi
Grand Officer Cross pro Merito Melitensi
Commander Cross pro Merito Melitensi
Officer Cross pro Merito Melitensi
Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi - special class
Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi
Cross pro Merito Melitensi with Badge
Cross pro Merito Melitensi with Crown
Cross pro Merito Melitensi with Shield

Ecclesistics Class Grand Cross pro Piis Meritis Melitensi
Cross pro Piis Meritis Melitensi

Gold Medal pro Merito Melitensi
Silver Medal pro Merito Melitensi
Bronze Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Gold Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Silver Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi
Bronze Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Gold Medal pro Merito Melitensi
Silver Medal pro Merito Melitensi
Bronze Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Silver Medal for the Calabria and Sicily earthquake (April 24, 1912)
Bronze Medal for the Calabria and Sicily earthquake (April 24, 1912)
Silver Medal for the Turkey War (April 24, 1912)
Silver Medal for the Turkey War (April 24, 1912)
Merit Medal for assistance to the 1940-1945 War Veterans
Silver Medal for assistance to the Hungarian Refugees
Bronze Medal for assistance to the Hungarian Refugees
Medal for relief activities in Vietnam

Malteser International Medal of Merit in Gold
Malteser International Medal of Merit in Silver
Malteser International Medal of Merit in Bronze
Malteser International Medal of Committment "Saint Martin 2007"
Malteser International Service Medal

Merit Medal in Gold
Merit Medal in Silver
Merit Medal in Bronze
Medal for the relief of the Kosovo refugees (1999)
Euro 2008 Medal in Gold
Euro 2008 Medal in Silver

Memorial Medal for the Malteser Hilfsdienst 50th Anniversary Jubilee
Thanks and Gratitude Medal in Gold
Thanks and Gratitude Medal in Silver
Thanks and Gratitude Medal in Bronze

Merit Medal
Long Service Medal (10 years)
Long Service Medal (20 years)
War Service Medal (1916) of the St.John Ambulance Brigade

Associazione dei Cavalieri Italiani del Sovrano Ordine di Malta e Corpo Militare dell'Esercito dell'ACISMOM (Italian)

Medal for the Southern Italy earthquake (1980)
Medal for the Northern Italy Emergency (2000)
Medal for the Abruzzo earthquake (1999)
Memorial Medal of the Redemption Jubilee Pilgrimage (1933)
Merit Medal for assistance to the Holy Year pilgrims (1975)
Medal for the assistance to the Redemption Jubilee pilgrims (1983)
Medal for the assistance to the Redemption Jubilee pilgrims (2000)
Merit medals for the Lourdes Pilgrimages
Ribbon for the Malta Order Lourdes Pilgrimages 50th Anniversary
Pilgrimages Memorial Medal
Lourdes Pilgrimages Memorial Medal
Loreto Pilgrimages Memorial Medal
Memorial Medal for the second millennium from the birth of Saint Paul Apostle of the People (November 21, 2009)
Honour Merit Badge of the Military Corps of the order of Malta (awarded in the Gold, Silver and Bronze classes)
Memorial Medal of the 1915-1918 War
Memorial Medal of the 1940-1945 War
awarded in the Silver Class for officers and Bronze Class for other ranks.
Memorial Medal for the operations in the former Yugoslavia (June 7, 1996)
Long Service Cross for managers and volunteer nurses (October 24, 1941)
Long Service Cross for NCOs and other ranks (October 24, 1941)