777 years ago, in June 1247 at Alba Regia in central Hungary, King B\u00e9la IV signed an agreement with Rembaldo, Grand Preceptor of the Order of St John. Known as the \u2018Diploma of the Knights of St John\u2019, this document is the earliest testimony of a direct link between the Order of St John and the Romanian people, as well as the expression of the long-standing relationship between Romania and the Order.
\nThe Diploma covered much of the present Romania, as B\u00e9la IV\u2019s kingdom covered parts of modern Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, and other territories. This important historic record is conserved in the Vatican Archives and published in J.Delaville Le Roulx\u2019s Cartulaire g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l\u2019Ordre des Hospitaliers de S. Jean de J\u00e9rusalem (1100\u20131310).
\nWhile the contract of 1247 could never be implemented \u2013 namely because of numerous conditions in the agreement and other prevailing circumstances \u2013 the \u2018Diploma of the Knights of St John\u2019 testifies to the fact that the Order of St John was an important historic presence in European civilization, and in numerous negotiations and concordats between the countries of mediaeval Christianity in Central and Eastern Europe, fostering the foundation of the Romanian state. It is also considered that the first hospital in Romania was founded by the Knights of St John in Oradea, even before the hospital settlement in Sibiu whose establishment is attested in 1292.
\nThe Order and Romania formally established diplomatic relations 92 years ago, in December 1932. These relations then ceased in 1948, without being formally denounced by either party. Subsequently, in 1960 a \u201cUnion of Members and those decorated with the Order of Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malta\u201d was created, which in 1962 was renamed as the \u201cRomanian Association of Members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta\u201d, functioning in exile throughout the years of the communist regime.
\n33 years ago, on 24 May 1991, diplomatic relations were formally resumed and raised to the level of Ambassador, based on a Protocol signed by the Romanian Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires in Italy and by the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs of the Order. In the same year, the Relief Service of the Order in Romania (Maltez), known is Romanian language as Serviciul de Ajutor Maltez \u00een Rom\u00e2nia (SAMR), was founded.
\nIn the years since, numerous agreements have been reached, as well as hundreds of projects and other activities completed. Today, the Order has 20 members in Romania through the National Association inn Romania (AROM), as well as over 1,200 volunteers through 17 subsidiaries and branches of Maltez all over the country. The Order is represented diplomatically in Romania by a resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, H.E. Robeto Musneci.<\/p>\n
You can learn more about the three bodies of the\u00a0Order of Malta active in Romania today below:<\/p>\n
1. The Relief Service of the Order of Malta in Romania (Maltez) https:\/\/maltez.ro\/<\/a> Written by James Michael Wilson – International Organization for Migration
\n2. The National Association of the Order of Malta in Romania (AROM) https:\/\/twitter.com\/OrderofMaltaRO<\/a>
\n3. The Sovereign Order of Malta Embassy to Romania https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/<\/a> <\/p>\n
\nwww.twitter.com\/James_M_Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n","news_gallery":"no","news_excerpt":"777 years of history: Romania and The Order of Malta in 2024 - Written by James Michael Wilson - International Organization for Migration \r\nwww.twitter.com\/James_M_Wilson<\/a>"},"news_categories":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/3216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/3216\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romaniaembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}