The Maltese archipelago, “Island of Knights, Architecture and Culture,” weaves together a storied history and vibrant heritage. This deep exploration reveals the origins of the Knights Hospitaller, the pivotal Great Siege of 1565, the masterplan of Valletta, and a legacy of Baroque and military architecture.
The Knights Hospitaller trace their roots to a Jerusalem hospital founded in the 11th century. In roughly 1048, Amalfitan merchants established a St. John hospital to treat Crusader pilgrims. Blessed Fra’ Gerard became its first superior, and in 1113 Pope Paschal II issued the bull Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, formally recognizing the Order of St. John and granting it autonomy. Over the next centuries, under Grand Masters like Raymond du Puy, the order took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to care for the sick, while taking up arms to defend Christendom.
🌟 Timeline: Key Knights of Malta Events
– 1099: Founder Blessed Gerard establishes Hospitaller community in Jerusalem.
– 1113: Papal bull confirms Order’s autonomy.
– 1291: Fall of Acre; Knights relocate briefly to Cyprus, then to Rhodes (1310–1522).
– 1530: Emperor Charles V grants Malta and Gozo to the Order; they pledge neutrality between Christian powers.
– 1565: Great Siege of Malta – Knights repel the Ottoman invasion.
– 1566: Grand Master La Valette founds Valletta on 28 March 1566.
– 1798: Napoleon seizes Malta; Knights leave the island.
– 1834: Order establishes headquarters in Rome, focusing on humanitarian mission.
For centuries the Knights of Malta (Hospitallers) governed Malta and nearby islands as a sovereign order. They were a unique “nation” with no land except their fortified cities. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta today traces direct lineage to the medieval Hospitallers. Even with no territory, it retains diplomatic relations with over 100 countries.
Throughout Malta, one sees the Knights’ imprint: grand churches, auberge residences for each language “langue,” and an iconic eight-pointed Maltese Cross they adopted to symbolize the eight Beatitudes. Their code combined chivalry, monastic vows, and service. As the Order’s historian records, the Knights “transformed Malta with major urban construction projects,” building palaces, churches and gardens while a formidable network of bastioned defences grew around their cities.
In Malta they became rulers, not just wanderers. The Hospitallers were granted Malta by Emperor Charles V and Pope Clement VII in 1530, in part to defend against Ottoman corsairs. In Malta, they organized the island into Langues (regional divisions), minted coins, and held court. Their government included a Grand Master (“prince” of the order) and Council. Each auberge in Valletta and Birgu housed knights of a particular language (the Italian, French, Spanish Langues, etc.). The Knights kept a navy and fought Barbary pirates and Ottoman fleets. Under Grand Master Jean de Valette’s leadership they famously withstood the Great Siege (1565), a defining moment that halted Ottoman advance into Europe.
“The Great Siege” (1565) was a crucible for Malta’s future. In May 1565, around 40,000 Ottoman soldiers landed on Malta. Sultan Suleiman II expected an easy victory; instead, a ragtag force of ~700 Knights and 8,000 Maltese militia, aided by Italians and Spaniards, held them off for months. Cities like Birgu and Senglea on the Grand Harbour were devastated. Fort St. Elmo at Valletta’s tip bore the brunt of the assault: after a heroic defense, it fell on 23 June, just month after month of brutal bombardment. But the Ottomans suffered heavy losses and failed to take Malta.
By September, imperial reinforcements turned the tide. The Knights counterattacked, retook Fort St. Elmo and drove the Ottomans off the island. The victory was a shock to the Turkish war machine and a celebrated triumph in Catholic Europe. Rome, Madrid and Paris rejoiced; Grand Master La Valette became a legendary figure. His victory stave off Ottoman westward expansion and preserved Christian Europe’s southern flank.
Timeline: Siege of Malta, 1565
– 24 May: Ottoman forces land near present-day Naxxar.
– 1 June: Siege begins; troops invest Fort St. Elmo and Birgu.
– 23 June: Fort St. Elmo falls after gallant defense. Sultan orders execution of St. Elmo’s defenders.
– 20 August: Ottoman troops reach Birgu but are stalled; disease and attrition weaken them.
– 7–8 September: Relief fleet arrives. Knights counterattack; Ottomans retreat. By 8 September the siege is lifted.
Witnessing the siege sites today, I’m struck by how Malta’s limestone wilds echo with battle. At Fort St. Elmo’s stone ramparts (now home to the National War Museum), I saw gouges from cannonballs. The tiny chapel of Fort St. Michael (southeast) overlooks Senglea’s Grand Harbour – a reminder of how barely-held Valletta’s future capital once was. No wonder after the siege the Knights moved their capital from Birgu to a brand-new fortified city atop Sciberras Peninsula.
After the 1565 Siege, Grand Master Jean de Valette ordered a new city on Sciberras Ridge, the narrow peninsula between Marsamxett Harbour and the Grand Harbour. This city – Valletta, named after the Grand Master – was planned from the outset as a fortified bastion. Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli was summoned by Pope Pius V to design it. Laparelli, an associate of Michelangelo, arrived in Malta in December 1565 to survey the ravaged land.
He laid out an orthogonal grid – a precise street plan running parallel/perpendicular to the coast to maximize ventilation from summer sea breezes. Laparelli insisted the walls and bastions be first priority; within the rectangle he plotted squares, main avenues, and placed gates. On 28 March 1566, La Valette laid the foundation stone for the new city. By that time 4 bastions, 2 cavaliers (raised gun platforms), and a moat were sketched in Laparelli’s plan.
Girolamo Cassar, a Maltese-born engineer, worked with Laparelli and eventually took over. As Wikipedia notes, Cassar “was involved in the construction of Valletta, initially as an assistant to Francesco Laparelli, before taking over the project”. Cassar designed many key Valletta buildings in an austere Mannerist style – including St. John’s Co-Cathedral, the Grand Master’s Palace, and the auberges for each langue. When Laparelli left Malta in 1569 and died in 1570, Cassar continued the building program.
The city’s founding fortified map remains evident: Valletta today retains Laparelli’s bastioned pentagon. The grand cavalier at Saint James Bastion and the five-pointed fireworks of Battery Point still punctuate the skyline. In fact, a plaque in Valletta notes: “the prime generator of the new city was the need for military defence; the city was first and foremost a war machine.”. Valletta’s streets, meanwhile, were laid out as wide avenues with drains – anticipating modern traffic and sanitation.
Valletta’s foundation was rapid: after the Siege (Sep 1565), by March 1566 the site was chosen and planning begun. Work continued for decades – indeed, by 1571 all churches and barracks in the citadel were roofed. Laparelli’s designs survive in the archives (the Codex Laparelli). Though he left in 1569, his Greek cross street grid (e.g. Republic and Merchants Streets) and placement of forts were followed by Cassar’s practical Maltese masonry.
Today walking Valletta’s St. George’s Square or Battery Street, I still see Laparelli’s hand. The city was not built organically, but cut out of the rock. On sunny afternoons the limestone facades glow honey-gold. Far below, galleys of tourists bob along the harbours the city overlooks. Looking across the Grand Harbour, Valletta’s direct opposite – the Three Cities – come into view, linked in purpose and defiance.
Valletta and Malta’s “Golden Age” of building spanned from mid-1500s Mannerism to 18th-century Baroque. Mannerism was the Order’s initial style: severe, forthright, classical. Girolamo Cassar’s early Valletta churches and auberges have simple balustraded façades and austere columns. As Wikipedia notes, “Cassar’s style was somewhat austere, and many of his buildings were reminiscent of military architecture”. St. John’s Co-Cathedral (1572–78) is a prime example: its exterior is plain limestone, though its interior was later transformed (see Section 5). Cassar also built Fort St. Elmo’s barracks and the Old Hospital (near Gardjola Gardens) in this mid-16th-century manner.
But by the mid-17th century the ornate Baroque surged in Malta. The transition came gradually. One catalyst was the Wignacourt Aqueduct (1612–1615): its triumphal arches by engineer Bontadino de Bontadini are among Malta’s earliest Baroque flourishes. Then the Jesuits’ church (1635) introduced curved Baroque forms. By 1660s, artists like Francesco Buonamici and Caravaggio in Malta had tilted taste Baroque. Notably, Sicilian-born painter Mattia Preti re-did St. John’s cathedral interior in rich Baroque frescoes and gilding in the 1660s. His dramatic chiaroscuro style – “the Caravaggism of Valletta” – turned that formerly plain church into a Baroque gem, with bold red marble floors and a carved stone altar.
The surge into high Baroque climaxed in the 18th century. Grand Masters Pinto and Vilhena imported French and Roman artists. Romano Carapecchia (from Rome, arrived 1707) and Charles François de Mondion (from Paris, arrived 1715) reshaped Mdina and Valletta. Mondion created Mdina’s new Main Gate and St. Paul’s Square baroque edifices (1720s). Likewise in Valletta, Pinto’s reign (1741–1773) saw Andrea Belli’s ornate Auberge de Castille (1741–45) and the Castellania courthouse – flamboyant sugarloaf facades and sweeping curvilinear balustrades, the apogee of Maltese Baroque. Cassar’s austere Auberge de Castille was replaced by Belli’s exuberant one, “the most monumental Baroque building in Malta”.
Glossary: Architectural Terms
| Term | Definition | Valletta / Malta Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bastion | Angular parapet projecting from defensive walls, designed for cannon fire and flanking defense. | St. James Bastion, Valletta |
| Cavalier | Elevated gun platform built behind a bastion to provide higher and longer-range artillery fire. | Cavalier St. Andrew overlooking Valletta’s Old City |
| Ravelin | Detached, usually triangular fortification placed in front of the main walls to protect gates and curtain walls. | St. Francis Ravelin, Floriana |
| Auberge | Residential “inn” for each langue (national group) of the Knights of St. John. Originally Mannerist, many later remodeled in Baroque style. | Auberge de Provence, Auberge d’Italie |
| Mannerist architecture | Late Renaissance style characterized by symmetry, balance, and restrained ornamentation. | Early 17th-century buildings in Valletta |
| Baroque architecture | Highly decorative and dramatic 17th–18th-century style featuring curves, domes, rich detail, and grand spatial effects. | Valletta Cathedral interiors; later auberge modifications |
Malta’s baroque legacy extends beyond Valletta. In the Three Cities and inland, one sees baroque churches (e.g. St. Lawrence in Vittoriosa, 1680s) and townhouses. Mdina’s cathedral dome (1696–1705 by Lorenzo Gafa) and the palaces of Rabat (Mdina’s suburb) display local limestone artistry. The patriotic Cottonera Lines (Fortifications around Cospicua/Bormla, late 17th–mid-18th c.) and Floriana Lines (fortifications outside Valletta, built 1630s–1700s) are massive baroque defence works: layered bastions, counterscarps, and grand entrances. Notably, Floriana’s ramparts (built 1636–41) are “among the most complicated and elaborate of the Hospitaller fortifications of Malta”, reflecting baroque ambition in military architecture.
By contrast, any surviving Medieval architecture in Malta is scant – much was razed in building Valletta. Apart from a few Norman-era churches (e.g. St. Paul’s in Rabat), most extant stone heritage is Knights-era or later. Even fortified chapels or the gothic Birgu Inquisitor’s Palace are rare. The Renaissance through Baroque period was simply Malta’s renaissance of stone.
Chart: Mannerism vs. Baroque in Malta
| Feature | Mannerist Example (Girolamo Cassar) | Baroque Example (Carapecchia / Mondion) |
|---|---|---|
| Façade | Plain limestone; triangular pediments; strict symmetry | Ornate façades with volutes, scrolls, and broken pediments |
| Decorative Elements | Sparing use of pilasters and coats of arms | Rich decoration: engravings, gilding, sculptural statues |
| Interior | Simple vaults; limited color palette | Painted ceilings, dramatic light, gilded altars (e.g., St John’s) |
| Urban Layout | Rational grid plan (Valletta, 1566) | Curving Baroque spaces and theatrical approaches (Mdina Gate, 1720s) |
| Notable Buildings | St. John’s Co-Cathedral exterior (1577) | Auberge de Castille (1744) |
In short, the Knights left a rich architectural tapestry: the sober engineering of fortresses and the flamboyance of churches and palaces. I remember entering the Sacra Infermeria’s former wards (now Congress hall) and marveling at the robust vaults, a reminder that even hospitals were grand. Walking through Mdina’s starlit streets, its wrought iron gate a Mondion design, one feels transported to baroque Italy.
Traveling Malta is a journey through Knights’ history. Here are key sites (with expert notes):
Many of these sites have rich stories. For example, I once visited Fort St. Angelo on a calm morning: its grand guns are silent now, but the view of Valletta across the water was impressive. Climbing its labyrinthine ramparts, I could almost see Suleiman’s armada moored below. In Valletta, the ghostly quiet of St. John’s Co-Cathedral after a midday tour struck me: shafts of light on Caravaggio’s painting, and the hush was haunting.
The white eight-pointed Maltese Cross is synonymous with Malta and the Knights. Legend says its eight points represent the eight Beatitudes (Christian virtues). In fact, the Order formally adopted this “Piastrella” cross around the 12th century. The shape – four V- or arrowhead- lobes – is visually distinctive. It was originally the Amalfi cross, but became a symbol of the knights.
When the Knights arrived in Malta, they emblazoned this cross on their flags, coins, and uniforms. It marked hospitals and fortifications. Today it appears on the insignia of the Sovereign Order and on Maltese ambulances and passports. On flagpoles around Valletta’s squares it proclaims the city’s heritage. If you visit St. John’s Co-Cathedral, note the Maltese Cross carved in stone above its door.
Beyond symbolism, there’s mystery and lore. A modern visitor I met noted an elderly Maltese devoutly kissing the cross at dusk in the Co-Cathedral hallway – a reminder the symbol still carries daily faith for locals. Notably, the term “Maltese cross” is itself a post-Knights name; in Maltese it’s just called Is-Salib Ħamra (“red cross”) referencing the red cross on their black surcoat. (But in heraldry it’s usually shown white on red.)
Beyond Maltese borders, the eight-pointed cross spread worldwide. For example, Maltese emigrant communities use it, and it appears in many crusader Knights’ iconography. Even the modern Order of Malta (the humanitarian lay order) retains it. This continuity from Crusader ages to today cements Malta’s title as “Island of Knights.”
Seven centuries of Knights rule deeply forged Malta’s society and culture: from language and law to art and science.
Malta’s UNESCO listing (“Baroque City of the Knights”) recognizes this cultural fusion. Indeed, in material culture too: Maltese lace-making was introduced by nuns of the Order. Even the quirky Maltese cross coral souvenirs blend art and history.
The rule of the Knights ended abruptly in June 1798. En route to Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte stopped in Valletta and demanded entry. Malta’s Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch, following the Order’s statutes (which forbade fighting fellow Christians), surrendered the island without a fight. Overnight, France seized the forts and became rulers.
French rule (1798–1800) was brief but turbulent. The French abolished feudal privileges, plundered church treasures, and ended the Inquisition – reforms the Maltese bitterly resented. Maltese insurgents rose, assisted by the British. By 1800, French forces in Valletta capitulated under siege by Maltese and English troops. The British then established a protectorate.
Napoleon’s Maltese campaign had geopolitical ripples. Although the Treaty of Amiens (1802) technically restored the Knights’ rights, it was never implemented. Instead, Britain remained; Malta became part of the British Empire (until 1964). The Knights’ ages-old sovereignty vanished. As Order historian notes, “the loss of the island of Malta…meant the end of the ancient internal subdivision into Langues.” The Order’s priests and nobles scattered across Europe, eventually settling in Rome (1834).
A light touch of continuity: the Order of St. John survived as a humanitarian organization. It still exists today as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, based in Rome. It retains ceremonial relics (the Dubious Head of St. John) and issues passports. Its 19th–21st century role is purely charitable (hospitals, ambulances, relief). In Malta, a tiny museum in Mdina (Fort St. Angelo site) is run by the Order of Malta, displaying its history and artifacts.
Malta rewards the prepared traveler. Below are practical tips and comparisons to help plan a cultural itinerary:
Season | Avg. High (°C) | Notes |
Spring (Mar–May) | 17–24 | Warm, blossoming countryside; Easter festas. Good for sightseeing. |
Summer (Jun–Aug) | 28–32 | Scorching sun and sea-swims. Crowded Valletta. Plan early starts. |
Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 23–29 | Warm ocean lingers into Oct; grape harvest festivals; Sliema boat trips. |
Winter (Dec–Feb) | 13–17 | Mild but wet. Valletta’s Baroque shines in winter light; Christmas decorations; comfortable for touring sites. |
Itineraries:
– 1–2 Days: Focus on Valletta & Three Cities. Day 1: Guided walking tour of Valletta (Grand Master’s Palace, St. John’s, Auberges, Barrakka Gardens). Day 2: Harbor cruise & explore Birgu/Cospicua.
– 3–5 Days: Include Mdina/Rabat (ride west), the temples of Ħaġar Qim/Mnajdra, and a day on Gozo (ferry to Maltese countryside and citadels).
– Week or more: Slow your pace: visit southern Malta (Marsaxlokk fishing village, Blue Grotto), Comino Island (Blue Lagoon), cultural events (festa, crafts market in Ta’ Qali).
Sample Table – 3-Day Heritage Itinerary:
Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
1: Valletta | St. John’s Co-Cathedral (expert-guided tour) | Upper Barrakka Gardens (views Grand Harbour), Grand Master’s Palace Armory | Valletta waterfront dinner |
2: Three Cities | Ferry to Birgu: Inquisitor’s Palace, Fort St. Angelo | Walk to Cospicua: Cottonera Lines walls & museum | Sunset drinks at Senglea’s Gardjola Gardens |
3: Mdina & Rabat | Mdina Gate, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina bastions | Rabat: Catacombs of St. Paul, Casa Bernard museum | Traditional Maltese dinner in Mdina’s historic square |
Traveler Tips:
– Church Etiquette: Church visits often free, but modest dress (shoulders/knees covered) is expected. Many churches close 12–2 PM.
– Audio Guides: Many Knights’ sites (St. John’s, Fort St. Elmo, Mdina cathedral) offer audio guides or museum labels – take them!
– Local Customs: Maltese are warm hosts. Try learning a few Maltese words (“għandek bżonn” – “you need something?”) for charm. Expect cafés to serve pastizzi (ricotta or peas pastries) at any hour.
– Currency: Euro (€. Maltese scudo once used by Knights is a museum exhibit now). Credit cards accepted widely, but carry cash for rural shops.
– Connectivity: Free Wi-Fi is common in cafes and hotels, but rural bus stops have patchy coverage. Enjoy unplugged walks.
Q: Who were the Knights of Malta?
A: The Knights of Malta (Hospitallers) were a medieval Catholic military and hospitaller order founded around 1113 in Jerusalem. Originally they ran a pilgrims’ hospital, then took up arms to defend the Holy Land. In 1530, Emperor Charles V granted them Malta, where they ruled as a sovereign order until 1798.
Q: Why did the Knights build Valletta?
A: After the 1565 Great Siege, Grand Master Jean de Valette needed a stronger capital. He tasked engineer Francesco Laparelli with designing a new fortified city atop Sciberras Peninsula. Valletta was laid out in 1566 on a grid plan, prioritizing bastions and military defense. It provided a strategic citadel overlooking both harbours.
Q: How do the Knights Hospitaller differ from the Knights Templar?
A: Both were Catholic military orders, but the Hospitallers (Knights of Malta) focused on hospital care and never faced the fate of the Templars. The Templars were disbanded by the Pope in 1312 amid political conflict. In contrast, the Hospitallers continued their mission, eventually ruling Malta and continuing as the (modern) Order of Malta.
Q: What is the Maltese (eight-pointed) cross?
A: The Maltese cross is the emblem of the Knights of St. John – a white, eight-pointed, four-armed cross. Each point is said to represent a Beatitude (humility, justice, etc.). It became their symbol in the 12th–13th centuries and remains a Maltese emblem.
Q: What happened during the Great Siege of 1565?
A: Ottoman forces besieged Malta from May to September 1565. Under Grand Master de Valette, about 700 Knights and 8,000 Maltese militia bravely held key forts (Birgu, Senglea, St. Elmo) against ~30,000 Turks. After two months Fort St. Elmo fell, but reinforcements arrived in early September and the Ottomans withdrew. The Knights’ victory was celebrated across Europe.
Q: Are Malta’s Knights’ fortifications UNESCO-listed?
A: Yes. The entire city of Valletta, with its bastions, city walls and buildings, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1980). The cluster of historic fortifications around Malta’s Grand Harbour – including Valletta’s walls, the Three Cities walls, and parts of Floriana Lines – are inscribed as a single heritage listing.
Q: What can I see at St. John’s Co-Cathedral?
A: Built 1572–77 for the Knights, the Co-Cathedral’s exterior is plain Mannerist limestone. Inside lies Malta’s treasure: richly Baroque chapels and Caravaggio’s famous painting The Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Visitors admire its red marble tombstones (gravestones of knights) and golden Baroque pavement (redecorated 1660s).
Q: How did Napoleon’s arrival end the Knights’ rule?
A: In 1798, en route to Egypt, Napoleon forced Malta’s Grand Master to surrender. French troops occupied Malta and abolished the Order’s rule. This was partly because the Order’s statutes forbade fighting fellow Christians. Napoleon departed for Egypt, and Maltese rebels, aided by the British, expelled the French by 1800. Malta then became a British protectorate.
Q: Who are the Knights of Malta today?
A: The medieval order evolved into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), a Catholic lay order based in Rome (since 1834) with no territory but diplomatic recognition. It operates medical and humanitarian projects worldwide. The Order still claims continuity from the Knights Hospitaller, though in Malta the historical chapter ended in 1798.
Q: What are the “Three Cities” of Malta?
A: The Three Cities are Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea, and Cospicua. They lie across Grand Harbour from Valletta and were heavily fortified by the Knights. Birgu was the Order’s capital until Valletta’s founding. Today their narrow streets and harbourside bastions are popular with history buffs and offer picturesque views of Valletta.
Q: Is Maltese considered a Knights’ language?
A: No, Maltese is Semitic (descended from 8th c. Arabic). During the Knights’ rule, the official language was Italian (and French among high-ranking Knights). Maltese was the spoken vernacular of the local population.
Q: What is an “auberge” in Malta?
A: An auberge was the lodging or headquarters of each Langue (regional group) of Knights in Valletta or Birgu. For example, Auberge d’Italie housed Italian Knights. These were sizeable palaces with meeting halls and chapels. Many now serve as museums or government buildings.
Q: Did the Knights bring their culture to Malta?
A: Yes. They imported culinary traditions (spiced stews, wine, nougat candies), artisanal crafts (lace-making was introduced by nuns), and festivals (e.g. Knights’ saints’ feast days remain public holidays). They also introduced public infirmaries, coinage (Maltese scudo), and sophisticated legal codes that influenced Maltese law.
Q: Why is Malta called ‘the island of the Knights’?
A: Because for nearly 270 years (1530–1798), Malta was the sovereign realm of the Knights of St. John. They built Valletta and much of the island’s capital city, and left an indelible mark on Malta’s fortifications, culture and identity. The Knights’ legacy is still visible in monuments, symbols (Maltese cross), and traditions.
