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.