Brothers Hospitallers

Mostly a lay order, it was founded by John of God* (d.1550) at Granada, and continued with the support of Philip II with hospitals founded in Madrid, Cordova, and elsewhere in Spain. In 1572 Pius V approved the order, under Austin rule, and it spread through Europe to distant colonies, with other hospitals in Rome, Naples, Milan, then in Paris by 1601. The brothers were expelled from their forty hospitals in France by the Revolution, though others emerged later. The order is governed by a prior general at Rome and divided into provinces, extending to Nazareth, England, and Ireland. Brothers take training and vows, wear habits, and perform duties of the religious life. Beyond personal sanctification, they seek their patients' spiritual and physical well-being.