The various orders of Knights came from all over Europe and even Russia; they had also settled in the Caribbean for a while.
After the British, at the request of the Catholic Church, removed the French, after a two year blockade, in September 1800. They were going to restore the Knights but the Maltese people did not want them to rule again, so Britain ruled Malta until they achieved their Independence in 1964.
I did not know that Russia sent Military Orders to the Crusades(1096-1291). I understand the Russians and the Ukrainians suffer greatly at the hands of the Turks but I thought most of it occurred after the Crusades ( Middle East) were lost. Whole villages and towns in the Ukrain ( as many as 10,000 at a time) were captured and sent to the Ottman Empire as slaves.
Also your picture of the cross on the building - there is the same cross on a building near
The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre (empty tomb of Christ), the holiest Christian site in Jerusalem, is also the greatest repository of twelfth-century Crusader art in the East. It is a ‘must see’ for visitors to Israel interested in art, history, warfare and faith.
Thanks for the posts