Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Equestrian Order of the
Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani
Abbreviation	OESSH
Formation	c. 1099
Founder	Godfrey of Bouillon
Founded at	Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Type	Order of chivalry
Purpose	Support the Christian presence in the Holy Land
Headquarters	Palazzo Della Rovere
Location	Rome
Membership	30,000 (est.)
Sovereign	Pope Francis
Grand Master	Fernando Cardinal Filoni
Grand Prior	Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM
Main organ	Council Complete of State
Parent organization	Holy See
Affiliations	Kingdom of Jerusalem Custody of the Holy Land Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Website	www.oessh.va
Formerly called	Milites Sancti Sepulcri Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre Sacred and Military Order of the Holy Sepulchre

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (Latin: Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The Pope is the sovereign of the order. The order creates canons as well as knights, with the primary mission to “support the Christian presence in the Holy Land.”^[1] It is an internationally recognised order of chivalry. The order today is estimated to have some 30,000 knights and dames in 60 lieutenancies around the world.^[2] The Cardinal Grand Master has been Fernando Filoni since 2019, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is ex officio the Order's Grand Prior. Its headquarters are situated at the Palazzo Della Rovere and its official church in Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo, both in Rome, close to Vatican City.^[3] In 1994, Pope John Paul II declared the Virgin Mary as the order's patron saint under the title "Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine."^[4]