Exterior of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, current home of Malta's Parliament.
The Knights of St. John, or Knights Hospitaller, were one of the most famous Christian orders of knights in the Middle Ages. Founded in the early 11th century, the order was charged with providing care for religious pilgrims to the Holy Land. In 1530, as part of an agreement with Charles V of Spain, the Knights were given Malta in exchange for the yearly gift of one of its native falcons (later a plot point in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon which I read during the weekend). In return, the Knights had a permanent location from which they could administer aid to Holy Land travelers as well as launching naval actions against the Ottomans and Barbary pirates.
During their almost three-hundred-year residency on Malta, the Knights built and fortified the capital city of Valletta and filled its palace and cathedral with the best art, tapestries and cultural treasures that their accumulated fortunes could provide. The wealth amassed by the Knights came under scrutiny and it was argued that they became corrupted from their original cause and were living idly in decadence. The power of the Knights and their support by European leaders weakened until 1798 when Malta was seized by Napoleon.
Armoury Corridor - The walls are lined with armor, the portraits of former Grand Masters and murals of naval battles. The marble floor features coats of arms of the noble families of the Knights of St. John.
Christopher was excited to be where real knights lived and see their armor. We had been reading several books featuring knights in preparation for our visit. He might have been slightly disappointed that we didn't encounter any dragons.
St. John Co-Cathedral in Valletta.
The interior of the co-cathedral was covered floor to ceiling in gilt, murals and marble.
Altar of the Co-Cathedral. Note the Maltese Crosses on the railing in the lower left of the photo.
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