Raymond du Puy

Raymond du Puy, copper engraving by Laurent Cars, c. 1730

Raymond du Puy (Raimundus Puteanus, 1083–1160) was a Frankish knight and the second superior of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from c. 1121^[1] until shortly before his death.

He was the son of Hughes Du Puy, a nobleman of the Viennois region of Lower Burgundy in what is now south-eastern France, a general serving under Godfrey of Bouillon who was made governor of Acre. He was also related to Adhemar of Le Puy, the papal legate during the First Crusade. The surname Du Puy likely refers to Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire).

He developed the Knights Hospitaller into a strong military force. He is also said to have taken over the management of the leprosarium outside Jerusalem that eventually broke off from the Order of St. John to become the Order of Saint Lazarus, becoming its seventh master just before his death.

Raymond divided the membership of the Order into clerical, military, and serving brothers and established the first significant Hospitaller infirmary near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He was present at the capture of Ascalon in 1153.

References

1. Traditionally cited as direct successor of the Blessed Gerard upon the latter's death in 1118 or 1120, modern historiography assumes he succeeded in 1121 or 1123 after one or two interim superiors (cited as Peter of Barcelona and Boyant Roger). See Nicole Bériou, Philippe Josserand et al. , Prier et combattre : Dictionnaire européen des ordres militaires au Moyen Âge, Fayard, 2009, p. 763. c.f. Pierre d'Avity (1628): Anno MCXVIII. frater Gerhardus ex hac vita migrauit, sub Pontificatu Gelasii II. quo tempore ordo Templariorum initium sumsit. Ei successit frater Raimundus Puteanus, qui fuit Eques professus ordinis.

• Pierre d'Avity, Johann Ludwig Gottfried (ed.), Archontologia cosmica, sive imperiorum, regnorum, principatuum, rerumque publicarum omnium per totum terrarum orbem commentarii luculentissimi ..., Frankfurt (1628), p. 32.
• U. Chevalier, G. Rivoire de La Batie / Famille Du Puy, Raymond du Puy; le premier Grand Maitre de l´Ordre de St.-Jean de Jerusalem, Histoire & Armorial du Dauphiné

External links

• Raymond du Puy (blessed-gerard.org)
• The Rule of Blessed Raymond du Puy (blessed-gerard.org)
• The Blessed Raymond du Puis / Raymond du Puy (smom-za.org)