1540
Ordo Hospitalarius S. Joannis de Deo / The Order of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God

The monastic life of the followers of St John of God is based on the Rule of St Augustine. Their charisma is treating the sick and taking care of their spiritual needs. In addition to the usual wows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they also take the wow to serve patients.

In 1635, on the initiative of the Bishop of Vilnius, Abraham Woyna, the Fate Bene Fratelli settled in Vilnius, at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The Vilnius community of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, was the largest among all the monasteries in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and also had the largest operating almshouse. The infirmary based within the monastery buildings could accommodate fourteen male patients at a time. After the partitions of the Commonwealth, the tsarist administration allowed the Brothers Hospitallers of Vilnius to continue their work, but in 1843, the monastery was suppressed. In 1924, the Brothers Hospitallers returned to their monastery and resumed the work of their predecessors. After World War II and the Soviet occupation, ‘the good brothers’ left Vilnius and never returned.