Since ancient times, it has been customary to pilgrimage to the Holy Land and visit the places where Jesus Christ lived, taught, and suffered. Praying at the holy sites, bathing in the Jordan, which was sanctified by Jesus' baptism, was the goal of many knights. However, they often fell ill or were even robbed on their journey. The Hospitallers were the knights responsible for caring for pilgrims at the St. John Hospital at the beginning of the Crusades. Initially a community of monks, this evolved into a knightly order in 1118, which received papal confirmation in 1130 and appointed Raymond du Puy as its first Grand Master. He established the order's laws, divided the members into knights, priests, and armed bearers, and after the novitiate, they took vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. A white cross on their chest and cloak.