Michal Vitanovský recalls the fate of famous knightly orders through silver medals of the Czech Mint. This academic sculptor is the most authoritative - he himself is a holder of the Cross of Merit of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of Merit of Malta. He dedicated the third issue to the Order of St. Lazarus.

The Crusades, which aimed to liberate the Holy Land from the hands of the Muslims, brought huge numbers of Christians to the Middle East, but many dangers awaited the defenceless pilgrims heading for the Holy Sepulchre. They were protected by knights who fought not only the hostile Saracens but also exotic diseases. One of the most feared diseases of the Middle Ages was leprosy, which consumed the unfortunate infected alive. Lepers, who survived for years with disfigured limbs and faces, were feared, but true Christian knights did not hesitate to lend a helping hand. Thus, in the 11th century, one of the world's oldest charitable organisations was founded - the Order of Saint Lazarus, whose name referred to the patron saint of lepers. The risk of the Lazarists becoming infected themselves when in contact with the terminally ill was considerable, and so it was mainly knights who were already lepers - outcasts from other orders - who were admitted to the order. Their task was to care for the infirm and, if necessary, to take up arms to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem. A great supporter of the Order of St. Lazarus was King Balduin IV of Jerusalem, who was stricken with leprosy in his childhood and led the Lazarians to victory in their most famous battles. As time went on, the proportion of lepers in the order dwindled and they successfully spread to Europe. Then, when the Christians were driven out of the Holy Land, France became the new home of the Lazarenes. They were entrusted with overseeing hospitals and workhouses, but they also built their own fleet to clear the Bay of Biscay of pirates. Most of the Knights were of noble birth, but a commoner could become a Lazarian for merit, which was not an option for the Knights of Malta, for example.

"Balduin IV's extraordinary military abilities, combined with his fatal illness, terrified the enemies commanded by Sultan Saladin. Balduin defeated him at the Battle of Montgisard. The famous victory of the much weaker Christian army is commemorated on the reverse side of the medal. The portrait of the King of Jerusalem is fictitious, but corresponds to his age and captures the manifestations of his illness," explains academic sculptor Michal Vitanovský. On the obverse side of the medal, there is the emblem of the Order - a green cross in a white area, which is made of coloured enamel - catches the eye. "The shield with the sign is supplemented with two figures - the leper and his caregiver, who is a knight of the Order," adds the author of the medal.

The issue includes a special appendix which, in the words of Michal Vitanovský, introduces the Order of Knights and the individual details of the medal's relief.