History

This Cross was instituted by Pope Leo XIII to stimulate pilgrimages to the holy sites in Jerusalem. It was, and continues to be, awarded to honourable and pious pilgrims for the merit they display in undertaking these pilgrimages.

The Cross is conferrable to male and female recipients. The cross awarded to women is generally identical to the cross awarded to men, with the exception of a small period of time in the Decoration's history in which the cross for women was slightly smaller than the cross awarded to men.

Initially, the grade of cross conferred upon a recipient was chosen based upon their contributions to the Holy Land, and their social standing.

The Cross was founded to retroactively award individuals who had made pilgrimages to the Holy Land since 1896.

The ribbon may be decorated with a bar reading, "JERUSALEM".

The obverse inscription roughly translates to "Leo XIII created this medal in 1900," and "Christ's love attracted us."

The reverse inscription translates to "Sign of the holy voyage of Jerusalem."