Chronology

Chronology of The Knights of the Orthodox Order of Saint John Russian Grand Priory

  •  1046-48   Approximate beginning of the brotherhood of St. John. Permission to build hospice given by Patriarch Nicephorus
  • 1307-09   Settling of the (Roman Catholic) Knights on the island of Rhodes
  • 1530   Settling of the (Roman Catholic) Knights on the island of Malta
  • 1698   Emperor Peter the Great of Russia sends a delegation to Malta, headed by Field Marshall Boris Scheremeteff
  • 1775   Polish Priory (Roman Catholic) becomes part of the German tongue
  • 1782   Heir-apparent, Grand Duke Paul of Russia pays a visit to Grand Master de Rohan on Malta
  • 1797   Polish Priory (Roman Catholic) becomes part of the Russian Grand Priory
  • 1798
    • 1798   (June)   Treaty drawn up between the Order of Malta and Emperor Paul I of Russia who creates “for times eternal” the Order of Malta for the nobility of the Orthodox Religion “confession”
    • 1798   (11 June)   Malta capitulates to Napoleon Bonaparte
    • 1798   (26 August)   END OF ORIGINAL ANCIENT ORDER
    • 1798   (27 October)   Emperor Paul I is elected Grand Master. Letter from Pope Pius welcoming Emperor Paul I. Letter from future King of France, Louis XVIII
    • 1798  (29 November)   Emperor Paul I is invested as Grand Master of the entire Order. Emperor Paul I creates 98 commanderies for Russian nobles
  • 1799  (October) Order’s relics are transferred to Russia (Our Lady of Philermos). Hereditary Family Commanderies are created. Order consists of four tongues: Russian; Italian/Latin; French; German
  • 1801   (22 March) Emperor Paul I is assassinated
  • 1802   Island of Malta is restored to the Order (however, the Order did not resettle the island)
  • 1803   Emperor Alexander I is offered and refuses Grand Mastership. Order’s headquarters remains in St. Petersburg
  • 1810   Due to the cost of the Napoleonic wars, the financial status of the Order changes and the Roman Catholic branch is asked to leave Russia
  • 1811   Commandery property becomes state property
  • 1817   Permission to wear papal order’s decoration refused in Russia
  • 1825   Emperor Nicholas I restores the Orthodox and Catholic chapels at the Woronzoff palace (former headquarters)
  • 1867   Prince Alexander Troubetskoy is confirmed as Hereditary Family Commander by decree of Emperor Alexander II
  • 1902   Rome sends emissaries to St. Petersburg asking to restore the Roman Catholic branch
  • 1912   Count Vladimir Armfeld is given permission to wear the medal of the Russian Order which can be passed on to his son
  • 1917   Communist revolution ends all Imperial institutions – ORDER GOES INTO EXILE
  • 1928   Hereditary Family Commanders in exile gather and meet in Paris. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich accepts the position of Protector of the Order and writes to King Alfonso XIII of Spain requesting protection as written by Emperor Nicholas II in 1914. The Order is registered in France. A letter requesting recognition was sent to the SMOM
  • 1939   World War II
  • 1941   Order’s relics (kept by the dowager Empress Marie in Denmark) were transferred to a monastery in Montenegro
  • 1964   Sir Harry Luke writes an article in Encyclopedia Britannica confirming the existence of the Russian Branch
  • 1973  Meeting of the Hereditary Family Commanders and Russian aristocrats at the residence of Prince Serge Belosselski-Belozersky where Hereditary Family Commander Count Nicholas Bobrinskoy is asked to revive the Order
  • 1974   Count Bobrinskoy receives blessing and canonical recognition from Metropolitan Iriney, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in America and Metropolitan Philaret, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
  • 1977
    • 1977   (April)   Order incorporated in the State of New York
    • 1977   (16 May)   Count Bobrinskoy unanimously elected Grand Prior and wrote to SMOM for recognition
    • 1977  (September)   HH Prince Andrew of Russia (eldest son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovitch and Grand Duchess Ksenia, sister of Emperor Nicholas II) accepts the duties of Imperial Protector of the Order
  • 1978   (January)   The Order receives qualified non-profit charitable organization 501(c)3 status from the US Federal government
  • 1981   (June)   HH Prince Vassili (brother of Andrew) becomes Imperial Protector
  • 1990   (November)   HH Prince Michael (eldest son of Prince Andrew) becomes Imperial Protector
  • 1992   (November)   His Holiness Aleksy II, The Most Holy Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, bestows blessings (in person to Count Bobrinskoy)
  • 1996
    • 1996   (February)   Order receives NY tax exemption; registered with the NY State Bureau of Charities
    • 1996   (12 July)   Order is registered in Moscow, Russian Priory reestablished
  • 1998   (September)   Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Order in St. Petersburg, Priory reestablished
  • 2003   Commandery established in Ekaterinburg, Russia
  • 2005   Commandery established in Orenburg, Russia
  • 2006   (12 September)   Grand Prior, Count Nicholas Bobrinskoy passed away
  • 2007   (15 January) HH Prince Michael of Russia was elected Grand Prior
  • 2009   (January) Hereditary Family Commander Count Alexander Woronzoff-Dashkoff elected Grand Prior
  • 2014   
    • 2014   Commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty
    • 2014   HH Prince Rostislav Romanov becomes Imperial Protector
    • 2014   HH Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov named honorary Imperial Protector 2007-2014 posthumously
    • 2014   Priory of Hawaii