The union of the two orders was recognised by a bull of Cardinal Louis de Bourbon, papal legate in France, dated 5 June 1668.

The modern ecumenical schisms of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910) claim legacy from the suppressed French branch.

[3] The different current Military and Hospitaller Orders of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem maintain that after 1830, the French foundation of the Order of Saint Lazarus continued under the governance of a council of officers under the protection of the Melkite Patriarchy.

[7][8] However, Charles Moeller and Michael Foster writing in 1911 maintain that the order was extinct after 1824 with the death of King Louis XVIII,[9][10] ignoring the fact that the French Almanach Royal continues to list King Charles X as the order's protector until 1830.

[citation needed] There remain authors such as Guy Stair Sainty who in spite of the legal and documentary evidence continue to challenge the legitimacy of the contemporary organisations claiming to be the 'Order of Saint Lazarus'.