What medieval military order is famous for caring for pilgrims and fighting in the Holy Land?

The story behind the answer

Founded in Jerusalem around a hospice for the sick and poor, this order combined medical care for pilgrims with a military role, escorting travelers and defending the Crusader states. Its members took monastic vows and later fought alongside other crusading forces, while maintaining hospitals and infirmaries—embodying a rare blend of charity and chivalry.

After the loss of the Holy Land, they relocated to Cyprus, then Rhodes, and finally Malta, where they became a formidable naval power against Ottoman expansion. Their emblem evolved into the familiar eight-pointed cross. Unlike the Templars, renowned primarily for martial prowess and finance, or the Teutonic Knights, who focused on the Baltic, and the Lazarists, associated with leper care, this order’s identity centered on healing as much as on arms—an ethos it preserves in modern humanitarian work.