Michal Vitanovský commemorates 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 fifth edition to the Order of the Johannites.

The history of one of the most powerful chivalric orders of the Middle Ages dates back to the time before the Crusades. Its origins are linked to the Benedictines, who ran a hospital in the Holy Land that could accommodate two thousand Christian pilgrims. After the arrival of the Crusaders, the Hospitaller Brotherhood began to grow rapidly and the Pope imposed a new duty on it - to use military force to protect the pilgrims from the Muslims. Thus, in the 11th century, the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John in Jerusalem came into being. Its members, called Johannites or Hospitalites, were organized as a military spiritual community, where there was a symbiosis of monasticism and chivalry. The pious warriors became the most important force in the Holy Land next to the Templars, but they could not prevent the fall of the Christian states in the Middle East. The islands of the Mediterranean provided them with further refuge, first Cyprus and then Rhodes, where they created a sovereign state and continued their rule. It was then that they became known as the Knights of Rhodes. Here too, however, the power of the Ottomans reached, and although the Johannites defended themselves with the help of a powerful fleet, they were forced to leave again. Malta became their new home . It was a clever move on the part of the Roman Emperor and the Pope, who gave them the Maltese archipelago. The Knights, who have since been known as the Knights of Malta, formed a formidable line of defence against marauding Muslims and greedy pirates alike. As soon as enemy ships saw the Maltese Cross flag, they immediately took to flight, but in vain...

The obverse side of the medal is dominated by a white eight-pointed cross in a red area, which is made of coloured enamel. A figure of a warrior on horseback completes the emblem of the Johannites . "The knight's outfit refers to the older, Palestinian part of the order's history, where ground battles prevailed, " explains academic sculptor Michal Vitanovský. The reverse side of the medal then commemorates a time when the order focused on naval combat. "Probably the most famous chapter of the Order's history was written in Malta, when the hitherto victorious advance of the Turks through the Mediterranean was haltedt here in 1565. Jean de La Valette, 49th Grand Master of the Order, was decisive in this. His portrait is based on several surviving contemporary likenesses, " adds the author of the medal.

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