Order of
Malta stamps
P=have O=don’t have it
The Sovereign
Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta,
better known as the Sovereign Order of Malta, has a two-fold nature. It is one
of the most ancient Catholic Religious Orders, founded in Jerusalem in around
1048. At the same time it has always been recognized by nations as an
independent subject of international law.
The Order's
mission is summed up in its motto "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum" - defence of the
faith and assistance to the suffering.
http://www.orderofmalta.org/site/domrisp.asp?idlingua=5
Based in Rome,
Italy, the SMOM takes its origins from the Knights Hospitaller, an organization
founded in Jerusalem in 1050 as an Amalfitan hospital to provide care for poor
and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099
during the First Crusade, it became a Catholic military order under its own
charter. Following the loss of Christian held territories of the Holy Land to
Muslims, the Order operated from Rhodes (1310–1523), and later from Malta
(1530–1798), over which it was sovereign.
Although this
state came to an end with the ejection of the Order from Malta by Napoleon, the
Order as such survived. It retains its claims of sovereignty under
international law and has been granted permanent observer status at the United
Nations. SMOM is considered to be the main successor to the medieval Knights
Hospitaller.
Today the order
has 12,500 members; 80,000 permanent volunteers; and 20,000 medical personnel
including doctors, nurses, auxiliaries and paramedics. The goal is to assist
the elderly, the handicapped, refugees, children, the homeless, those with
terminal illness and leprosy in five continents of the world, without
distinction of race or religion. In several countries, including France,
Germany and Ireland, the local associations of the Order are important
providers of first aid training, first aid services and emergency medical
services. Through its worldwide relief corps, Malteser
International, the Order is also engaged to aid victims of natural disasters,
epidemics and armed conflicts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Military_Order_of_Malta
Scott: #????O
Unificado (Italian catalog) #830
Issued: 13.3.2006
40th Anniversary, USFI (Italian Philatelic Press Union)
Inside #???: Italy, Sardinia 50c letter sheet imprint, 1819 (changed
colors)?O
Thanks to Lou Guadagno
Scott: #????O
Unificado (Italian catalog) #BF
82 (#846-854)
Issued: 16.10.2006
40th Anniversary, First stamps of SMOM (Poste Magistrali)
Inside #???: First 9 stamps of SMOMO
Unificado (Italian catalog) #1-9
Thanks to Attilio Papio and Lou Guadagno
Best website related:
Order of Malta
stamps
http://www.orderofmalta.org/site/filatelica.asp?idlingua=5