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Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The
Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
, also known as the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
(
SMOM
) or
Order of Malta
, is a
Catholic lay religious order
traditionally of
military
,
chivalrous
and
noble
nature, founded as the
Knights Hospitaller
circa 1099 in
Jerusalem
,
Kingdom of Jerusalem
, by
Gerard Thom
, as the world's oldest surviving
order of chivalry
. Headquartered in
Palazzo Malta
in
Rome
, widely considered a
sovereign subject
of
international law
, its mission is summed up in its
motto
: "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum"; protecting the
Catholic faith
and serving those in need.
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