The Crusaders had castles built and created special orders of knighthood to protect the Holy Land. Among the chief orders were the Knights Hospitalers, the Knights Templars, and later, the Teutonic Order.
The Crusaders set out in June 1099 for Jerusalem after six months in Antioch. In July of that year, they took Jerusalem following a massive slaughter after which they went to kneel at the Holy Sepulcher.
Although the majority of them returned to their homes after this event, the numbers of those who remained continued to grow.
In ancient times, Akko (the Hebrew name) was a major port of the Eastern Mediterranean, and it was to Akko that St. Paul embarked to spread Christianity. A thousand years later, Richard the Lionhearted came here to recapture the Holy Land from the Moslems. The first Cannanite settlers lived in Akko some four thousand years ago.
The Old City of Akko which is visible above ground dates back only to the 18th century; a more fabulous city built by the Crusaders six centuries earlier lies underneath, and it can be visited.
In Crusader times, the city had 38 churches and a population of 50,000. The majority belonged to the Order of St. John, otherwise known as Hospitalers because they were originally formed to provide aid to ailing pilgrims. The now underground rooms are magnificent with massive pillars and vaulted ceilings.
