The Order of the Holy Sepulchre was founded in 1099 by Duke Godfrey de Bouillon, at the end of the First Crusade. As a monastic, military Order, it was to guard the sacred Sepulchre of Our Lord in Jerusalem. Its first constitution was approved by Pope Pascal II in 1113. The Order took part in the remaining Crusades, which were ultimate military failures.

In the medieval and early modern periods, it was under the grand mastership of various kings of Jerusalem, France and Spain. It spread throughout Europe. In 1496, Pope Alexander VI made the Order Pontifical; that is, under the direct protection of the Holy See. It remains a Papal Order to this day.

In 1847, with the re-establishment of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pope Blessed Pius IX updated the constitution to the needs of modern times. No longer a military Order, the Order became a confraternity of prayers and alms for the needs of the Latin Patriarch.

Each Pope since Blessed Pius IX has upheld and renewed the Papal Order in various ways.

by Sir Brian C. Cook, KC*HS