This depiction is said to have originally represented the Order of St John, which ruled Malta between the 16th and 18th centuries. An example of an allegorical painting which bears similarities to later depictions of Melita is an 18th-century fresco at Auberge de Provence by Nicolau Nasoni. The painting depicts a female figure wearing armour with a Maltese cross and holding a sword and shield, and it is said to represent the "Religion", a common nickname for the Order. After the Order's expulsion from Malta in 1798, the personification came to represent Malta itself due to the strong links between the islands' identity and the Order.