The Crosiers or Brethren of the Cross or crutched friars is a general name for several loosely related Catholic orders, mostly canons regular. Their names derive from their devotion to the Holy Cross. They were founded in the 12th and 13th centuries, during the era of the crusades in the Holy Land. These orders tended to maintain hospitals and care for the sick. Currently, the term "crosiers" most frequently refers to the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross originating from Belgium, but it could also refer to at least five other orders from Jerusalem, Portugal, Italy, Bohemia, Poland–Lithuania, and a group of friars in England and Ireland.
Knights of the Cross with the Red Star
Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross
The Crosiers, formally known as the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross, abbreviated OSC, is a Catholic religious order of canons regular of Pontifical Right for men. It is one of the Church's oldest religious orders, and membership consists of priests and brothers who live together according to the Rule of St. Augustine.
Clairlieu convent in Huy, Belgium
Crosiers from Europe with Pope Pius XII during an audience in Vatican City
Crosier Fathers from the Netherlands, in Campo Belo, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Image: Kruisheren 1964 Canons Regular of the Order Sanctae Crucis