Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Order of Malta

Order of Malta

 

Foundation Pro Tantur

History:

1869: With the blessing of Pope Pius IX, the Order of Malta purchased the Tantur Hill in the Holy Land (near Jerusalem) from the Ottoman Empire.
From 1876 till 1939: The Order built and operated a Hospital on the Tantur Hill.
1967: The Order of Malta sold a large portion of the property, including the demolished Hospital, to the Holy See, which built a theological institute on the site. The remaining part was entrusted to the Foundation Pro Tantour, based in Switzerland, to develop and manage.
1982: The Swiss Foundation Pro Tantour built the new Memorial Residence Home as the first part of a long-term project intended to serve the regional population.

Situation today:

Location
The property of approximately 19.000 m2 is located in the Municipality of Jerusalem (Israel) on a beautiful hill surrounded by olive orchards at an altitude of 800 meters, only 5 km south of Jerusalem and 2 km north of Bethlehem. The property is situated directly on Hebron Road, approximately 500 meters from the Israeli checkpoint. The area is called Bet Safafa. The majority of its population is Palestinian, both Christian and Muslim.

The Purpose of the Project
The proposed facility is located in a very picturesque place and will provide pilgrims, including handicapped persons, with a home during their stay in the Holy Land.

 

Sovereign Order of Malta Switzerland

Secretariat General

Kommende, Post-Office Box, CH-6260 Reiden - Switzerland

info@ordredemaltesuisse.org, Tel. +41 62 758 11 44