Order questions

The Order of Saint James of Altopascio also called the Knights of the Tau was a military order, perhaps the earliest Christian institution to combine the protection and assistance of pilgrims, the staffing of hospitals, and a military wing. According to American historian Ephraim Emerton, who produced the first systematic study of the Order, "the fame of the house drew visitors, both well and sick, including women in childbirth and infants" from around Italy.

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the Knights Templar or simply the Templars, were a Catholic military order recognised in 1139 by the papal bull Omne datum optimum. The order was founded in 1119 and was active until 1312 when it was perpetually suppressed by Pope Clement V by the bull Vox in excelso. Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312 under pressure from King Philip

The term Cistercian derives from Cistercium, the Latin name for the village of Cîteaux, near Dijon in France. It was in this village that a group of Benedictine monks from the monastery of Molesme founded Cîteaux Abbey in 1098. The best known of them were Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Cîteaux and the English monk Stephen Harding, who were the first three abbots.