Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem

The Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem (Latin: Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, abbreviated OESSH, also known as the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher) is, together with the Order of Malta, one of the only two papal orders of knights.

The Order is a Roman Catholic lay order established in the 19th century. In 1868, this lay association was established as the Order of the Holy Sepulcher by Pope Pius IX. The German Lieutenancy of this papal lay order was founded on December 8, 1933. Since then, the Order’s mission has been to promote the Catholic Church in the Holy Land and to support it through worldwide activities. Among all the spiritual orders of knights of the Catholic Church—such as the Order of Malta and the Teutonic Order, both of which were founded in the Holy Land during the Crusades and were also based there—the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is, on the one hand, the youngest papal order of knights; on the other hand, having been founded in Rome, it was never based in the Holy Land. Due to historical, legal, and spiritual ties, the Order stands directly under the protection of the Holy See and is a legal entity under canon law, as confirmed by Pope Pius XII on September 14, 1949, John XXIII on December 8, 1962, and Pope Paul VI on July 19, 1977; furthermore—based on a confirmation by Pope John Paul II on February 1, 1996—it is a legal entity of the Vatican City State and thus a papally recognized community of Catholic laypersons and priests.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem enjoys the same direct recognition as the Order of Malta. Both are the only equestrian orders of the Catholic Church recognized by the Holy See, and both maintain a special sovereign relationship with the Holy See. Neither order owes its origins to a papal foundation; however, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is not an order within the meaning of the Code of Canon Law (CIC).