The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-06

Jerusalem Correspondence of the Lon
don Times).
There is much in the history of the
lsite of the new German church that is
well worth noting. 1t occupies the
the south of the church of the Holy
Sepulchre known as the "Muristan -
This plot has historic mention as early
as the reign of Charlemagne, who de-
voted much attention to the holy
lplaces of Jerusalem. On this very
ground he erected a hospice for pill
lgrims. Bernhard of Eichstadt, monk
acknowledged it's hospitality in $40,
and spoke of church here, with west
ern rites, called ST. Maria Latina, in
charge of Benedictines. The peace that
lasted during Charlemagne'S friendly
intercourse and exchange of costly
presents with Khalif HarOun Ell Rachid
IceaSed when the Holy Land came under
the power of the Egyptian khalifs.
This hospice and church, in common
1
were destroyed. This was in 1910, un-
der the rule of Hakem. After his death
! intercourse with the west was renewed
| through Italian seaportS, and churches
were rebuilt. In 1868, merchants of
Amalfi purchased the ground in ques
ton and built hospice. For its SER
vice there was founded small brother
| hood of hospitallers, and this grew in
| a few years into the powerful and cele
brated order of the Knights of st.
John, which added warlike enterprises
to its deeds of mercy in caring for pill
grims and the sick. This knightly spirit
was fostered by the circumstances of
those times when the crusades We're
undertaken by which Jerusalem was
wrested from the Turks of Asia Minor
This new order of knights filled their
area with great structures-the church
of st. John Baptist, hospice supported
by 124 columns, where 1000 pilgrims
could find shelter; the palace of the
master of the order, the dwellings of
the knights, and an armory and news.
closure stood the church of st. Mary
Major and adjoining it on the south the
clolster of the affiliated order of nuns /
This church was built in the old
French style, and resembled the church !
of ST. Anne, now standing near the ST |
which the ruins were uncovered by the |
German architects a few years ago. It's
restoration was undertaken and is now
approaching completion under the pa
tronage and close personal interest of
the German Emperor. An ornamental
arch bearing designs symbolic of the
twelve months of the year, which orig
inally formed the northern entrance,
was found still standing, and now oc-
cupies its ancient place in the new
ng feature. The cloister also was
'ound in good preservation and may
low be seen much as it was in the days
when Baldwin was king in Jerusalem. :
Christian rule terminated within a
entury. In 11S7 Saladin conquered the
;ity and took up his quarters in the
which had belonged to the
Knights OF st. John. The cloister, from
which the nuns had fed, he converted
nto a madhouse, called in Arabic Mu-
istan, which name the whole area has
ince borne. The knights OF St. John
fterwards established themselves in
rhodes, and later in Malta, whence
hey were finally driven by Napoleon. J
5ut they have never ceased to exist, {
hough the Reformation divided the
rider. The successors of those in {
Ialta, who are called the Knights of
Ialta, and are Roman Catholics, are
Ound today in the house of the order !
nd a hospital south Of Jerusalem, at !
antur, little more than halfway to
ethlehem. The Protestant represen
ia, and were rich in landed posses e
ions until during the Napoleonic wars
lese possessions were seized by the
russian Government. Later the order r
as restored by Frederick William Of c
russia. In its modern form it is de- e
oted to deeds of mercy, supporting t
lany hospitals and homes for the u
yed. 1t has small but well-conduct- =
/ hospice in Jerusalem, and viii prob
oly build a spacious one on this very
te, upon which the order was found 7
|. The membership Of the German Or
r is confined to princes and the nODlI- II
y. The English order bearing the II
me name includes all classes, and
lmbers women as well as men in its ;
nks. An ophthalmic hospital in Jeru- j,
lem is under the banner Of this Eng
n order.
After Saladin's death, the buildings
the Muristan were neglected and be-
me mere ruins. and part Of the land