THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM Living And Dying In The Service Of Others Malta Malta, often described as a rock in the middle of the Mediterranean, is, in fact, three rocks since it comprises three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta & Its Capital Valetta From the air the islands appear but insignificant specks in the sea, however, their storied past reaches back 5000 years. Neolithic newcomers rafted over from Sicily and left a legacy older than the pyramids. Their circular temples of huge stones contain spiral designs symbolic of life cycles and reincarnation. Prehistoric Temple Hagar Qim - Ruins of Prehistoric Temples Of all the conquerors to come to Malta, the most famous were the Knights of St. John who arrived early in the 16th century. A Knight of the Order of St.John In 1048, the merchants of Amalfi, Italy, who were permanent residents of the Holy Lands, obtained Moslem permission to build a hospital at Jerusalem for poor, ailing pilgrims. The history of the Knights of St.

John, whose patron saint was John The Baptist, began about 1120 in the Holy Land when the staff of this institution was organized by Raymond du Puy as a religious order. During the Crusades, these 'Hospitalers' gave care and comfort to sick and wounded. The organization grew in importance after the Crusaders captured the city and the number of pilgrims increased considerably. The Order gained strength and took on the character of a military body under the control and authority of the Church. The Hospitalers in order to protect the pilgrims had to fight the infidels and when this gradually became of greater importance than healing, it resulted in the Order's members becoming also Soldiers of Christ. The "Knights" themselves who had military duties never exceeded six hundred in number and had to be of noble birth from both parents and bound by the monastic vows of Charity, Obedience and Poverty. The "Chaplains," who were priests and performed religious duties, and the "Serving Brothers," who assisted the knights and served as nurses, did not have to be of noble birth.

The members organized on the basis of nationality or Langues (Tongues) which in order of precedence were; Provence; Auverne; France; Spain; Italy; Great Britain; Germany and Castile/Portugal. Coats-of-arms of the various Langues Crests of Knights photo by G.Wilson The Knights were part the military forces of Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, who made a supreme effort to defeat Saladin but was defeated. While Saladin treated Guy and other lay prisoners with courtesy and kindness, he slaughtered every Templar and Hospitaler who fell into his hands. A Fully-Armed Knight at Prayer [Relief Tombstone] The Knights became one of the noblest charitable groups in the Christian world. Grateful lords and princes who were healed in their hospitals made generous grants to the Order and they acquired extensive and valuable properties to support their activiities in the Holy Land. They became one of the chief mainstays of the Latin kingdom. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the chief instruments of foreign exchange were the two great miltiary orders, the Templars and the Hospitalers.

They held large properties in every part of Western Europe and the fact that they combined religious sanctity with miltiary power made everything in their possession particularly safe. They accepted money in one country and paid it out in another. The Templars or the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon as they were known when they were founded on the site of Solomon's temple by Godfroi du Bullion in 1118. At one time this distinquished organization, had by the beginning of the 14th century become little more than an enormous banking organization which even ran the royal treasury of France. The Templars had immense resources and power which placed them outside any regular channels of allegiance. They were not known for charitable works and unlike the Knights of St. John, they supported no hospitals. All this made them fair game for Phillipe the Bright (IV) of France. Phillipe had borrowed a good deal of cash from their coffers and could not repay it. In addition his application to join the organization had been turned down. Enraged by this rejection, he eagerly decided to discharge his debt by eliminating his debtor.

Philip the Fair married: 1284 died: 1305] In 1307 Philip seized the Temple in Paris and on the same night, he ordered the arrest of every Templar in France. They were accused of every crime the medieval mind could imagine. These ranged from sexual deviation,to commerce with the devil, treason and theft and concealment of the Holy Grail. Trials were a must for no one was to be sentenced without proof of guilt. Pope Clement V was also perpetually short of cash and he was persuaded by Philip to authorize the trials of the white-mantled monks. No evidence was needed for proof. Confession was enough and it was readily obtained by torture.The Templars, many of them old men, were racked, thumbscrewed, starved, hung with weights until joints were dislocated, had teeth and finger nails extracted one by one, bones broken by wedges and feet held over flames. A pause followed each pain for the admission of guilt. Either way they were damned, for confession meant the fire.

One chronicler acknowledged they "would have confessed they had slain God if they were asked that." They were systematically hunted down and exterminated until in 1314, the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molnay was garroteed and burned at the stake, taking with him the secrets of that secret society. According to the Vatican archives website, the long-neglected parchment showed that Clement initially absolved the Templar leaders of heresy, though he did find them guilty of immorality and he planned to reform the order. However, pressured by Philip and his own lust for loot, Clement reversed his decision and suppressed the order in 1312. The Vatican has published secret documents about the trial of the Knights Templar. The 300-page volume, (Latin for "Trial against the Templars"), recently came out in a limited edition. 799 copies each priced at US$8,377. In 1291 Acre the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land was lost when the Egyptian army routed the Christian forces. The Knights who survived sailed to Cyprus to regroup their forces. In 1309 they captured Rhodes after cvercoming the inhabitants' heroic resistance.

Here they established a fleet, became a great naval force and a vigorous and belligerent outpost of western Christendom. Their years at Rhodes were the most brilliant of their history. Rhodes, The Island In The Sun [15th century drawing] Symbol of Rhodes on Road Grate photo by G. Wilson In 1565, the Ottomans sent the largest fleet ever assembled to lay siege to the island of Malta, the conquest of which would give them control of the whole of the Mediterranean. The Knights of St. John prepared to meet this assault as best they could. Somehow, despite their smaller army and the failure of aid to reach them, they held out over several months of terrifying attacks in a dramatic display of courage, grit, and great leadership. Legacies Left by the Knights of Rhodes Knights' Church, Rhodes Castellania in Old Town of Rhodes photo by G. Wilson When in 1530 these sons of European royalty were offered the Maltese Islands by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to hold in feudal tenure, they changed their name to Knights of Malta. The sole fee for Malata was a falcon to be delivered to the Emperor each All Saints Day.

The Order accepted the Emperor's gift and remained on Malta for over 250 years. From here the Knights of Malta carried on a war against the Barbary Corsairs. This bizarre bargain inspired Dashiell Hammett's novel and the classic movie of the same name, The Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falcon as it appeared on the first edition of D. Hammett's novel. Valletta Jean de La Vallette Parisot 1557-1568 In 1565 Malta was one of the last obstacles lying between the Ottoman Empire and its intended conquest of Europe. A mighty struggle loomed in the Mediterranean between the Christian kingdoms, roiled by religious strife and political intrigue, and the surging Ottoman Empire. Hoping to make Malta Moslem, the Turks sent a fleet of 150 ships and 40,000 soldiers to seize the strategic islands with a massive siege. All that stood in the sultan's way was a tiny island and its small band of 9000 defenders - the Knights of Malta. This 16th-century religious war entailed all the treachery and zealotry of Muslim and Christian authorities alike.

Fighting with their accustomed bravery, the Knights of Malta resisted this great siege and its savagery and four months later forced the bitterly defeated invaders to return to Constantinople with only a quarter of their army intact. Western Europe rang with the praises of the Knights. Two hundred years later, Voltaire was still calling it the most famous event in history, yet today the story is seldom told. Immediately after the Great Siege of 1565, the urgency to build an effective defence system became a priority for the Order. This resulted in the foundation of Valletta being conceived as a town within a fortress. Money flowed into Maltal from every kingdom and the flow of finances was used to build forts and reinforcements for the anticipated renewed assaults which never came. For 233 years the Order dominated the Mediterranean. Today the island's fortifications stand as a great reminder of the epic efforts made to keep Malta free from enemy aggressions. Bastions Span the Length of the Valletta Peninsula photo by G.Wilson Fort St. Elmo played a significant part in the great siege of 1565.

On June 23, 1565 the 600 or so defenders of the Fort fought and fell to the last man when overcome by the Turkish hordes following the month-long siege. The Fort was centre stage at another battle during WWII. Maltese defenders fought and repulsed an Italian E-Boat assault on the Grand Harbour when manned torpedo boats broke through the netted entrance [see arrow] only to be destroyed by fire from the batteries on shore. Fort St. Elmo Photo by G. Wilson Fort St. Elmo is today the site of full scale military parades in period costume called 'In Guardia.' "In Guardia" Plaques of 8 of the Knight Houses in St. John Cavalier Photo by G. Wilson Flags of 8 of the Knight Houses in St. John Cavalier Photo by G. Wilson Left - Armour of Grand Commander Jean Jacques de Verdelain 1590-1673 Centre - Armour of Grand Master Wignacourt 1601-1622 Photo by G. Wilson Under the leadershp of Grand Masters, the Knights constructed great churches, imposing auberges and massive stone fortifications on every strategic site.

In the centre of Valletta, the capital of Malta, they constructed their Valhalla, the Cathedral of St. John, inside which lies the chivalry of Europe. While plain and austere on the outside, St. John Cathedral St. John Cathedral in Valletta Photo G. Wilson The cathedral is breathtakingly beautiful inside with an awe-inspiring vaulted ceiling on which are depicted scenes from the life of John the Baptist two of which follow. 'God the Father' John Reproving Herod for his Immoraltiy Vault painting by Mattia Preti (1613-1699) Blessed Sacrement Chapel with Silver Gates There are numerous fine works of art in this cathedral and one of the most famous is Caravaggio's, The Beheading of St. John. Caravaggio, a realist painter was born Michelangelo Merisi in the village of Caravaggio in Lombardy in 1573. He was known to his contemporaries as a pientre maudit, painter with a cloven hoof, apparently because he had a fierce temper. His tempestuous nature is reflected in his paintings. He is famous for intensely dramatic works that depict: violent struggles, torture and death.

He rebelled against rules. His style 'abolished' the background, used a restricted palette and powerful contrasts in light and shadow, laid on with a fury that portrays his passion. The stormy, shocking private life of this notorious brawler included a murder during a quarrel over a gambling debt. He fled Rome and was given asylum by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order in Malta. His escapades continued with police always on his heels for various crimes. Despite his dissolute and dissipated life, he was recognized as a celebrated genius with a painting in the Vatican. This undisciplined artist's whole output concerned representations of the human form. His religious paintings caused scandals because he used for his sacred personages, models from the lower classes - his compatriots. Caravaggio's St. Matthew, commissioned by a church in Rome, depicts the saint surrounded by card players in a tavern. In 1610, he died of a fever on a beach in Sicily at the age of 37. According to a recent U of T article, the 'Dark Master' has replaced Michelangelo as the darling of the academic art world.

The rebellious genius, Michelangelo, knocked Michelangelo from his perch atop the Italian art charts in the 1980s. The article explains that this giant genius, who painted for the pope and rejected nature, has simply fallen out of favour and been replaced by the man who embraced humanity in all its facets including the degraded ones. "He rebelled against dogma and received wisdom." Surely, there is room in the academic art world for two Michelangelos. Caravaggio's Self Portrait Caravaggio's Beheading of St. John Caravaggio's David holding the head of Goliath Caravaggio's Portrait of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta Caravaggio's Portrait of St. Jerome Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes Caravaggio's Crucifiction of St. Peter Most impressive is the fantastic marble floor patterned with 375 tombstones, the oldest dating from the first years of the 17th century. Each inlaid, coloured, marble slab bears the crest, coat-of-arms and epitaph of a noble knight. Only the top dignitaries of the Order and a few outstanding individuals were allowed to perpetuate their memory in this way.

The inscriptions are mostly written in a form of Latin and they pronounce the merits of the person entombed below. The marble inlay tombstones were made by local craftsmen. D O M, 'To God the Best and The Greatest.' Tombstone Slabs The tombstone of Wolffgangus Philippus of Guttenburg "Fumus, Humus, Sumus et Cinis Est Nostra Ultima Finis." 'We are like smoke and dust and our end is ash.' On 19 May, 1798, General Napoleon Bonaparte sailed from Italy with an army of almost 40,000 men, along with another smaller army of scientists, engineers, artists and linguists - the so-called "Savants" to capture Egypt. The first stop, however, was Malta. There Napoleon ousted the Knights of St. John, established Malta as a French satellite and loooted millions in gold, silver and gems from the nation's treasury. Bonaparte in turn was tossed out two years later by the British, who retained possession of the islands for over a century and a half. During World War II Malta bore the brunt of more bombing than any other place on earth.

For the courage and constancy of its citizens, the Nation was awarded the George Cross, the only country so honoured. In 1964 the British left and Malta, free at last of all foreigners, became a republic in 1974. Thus ended the military activities of the Order of St. John and the Knights of St. John devoted their energies soley to works of charity. In 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, several members of the newly-revived Order of St. John in England offered their services for ambulance work in the field. Their valuable work indicated the crying need for lay persons trained in the care of the sick and injured to be involved. As a result the Order of England formed the St. John's Ambulance Association in 1877 to teach first aid, home nursing and related subjects. The humanitarian work of the British branch of St. John Ambulance spread to Canada during the winter of 1882-83 when first aid classes were organized in Quebec City and later in Kingston, Ontario. By 1892 there were 12 branches of St. John Ambulance in Canada from Halifax to Vancouver.

The cross of St.John and the Maple Leaf have joined to bring life-saving services to Canada. The cross of St. John joins the Maple Leaf Knights of St. John - History of Malta | Visit Malta Knights of St. John read more Knights of St. John It is hard to miss the legacy of the Knights in Malta. They gave the Islands one its best-known faces to the world, the eight-pointed Maltese Cross. No era has left such an imprint on the Islands as the 250-year rule of the Order. From their daily lives to their valiant battles, all is documented in the archives, architecture and folklore of the Maltese Islands. To trace the Knights, start in the places they made home: the Three Cities and Fort St. Angelo; then Valletta , the baroque, fortified city they built after the Great Siege of 1565 . You'll sense their presence by wandering through their palaces, courtyards and gardens. Across the Maltese Islands, you'll find more evidence of their stay in their military engineering and architectural feats: forts, bastions, watch towers, acquaducts, churches and cathedrals.

Not to mention the rich patrimony they bequeathed the Islands with works of art, furniture, silverware and sculpture. Less evident, but no less important, is the place they gave the Islands in the history of medicine. Their Sacra Infermeria in Valletta was the foremost hospital of Europe in its day. The Maltese Cross was officially adopted by the Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John in 1126. Its eight points denote the eight obligations of the knights, namely "to live in truth, have faith, repent one's sins, give proof of humility, love justice, be merciful, be sincere and whole-hearted, and to endure persecution". With time, the eight points also came to represent the eight "langues" (national groupings) of the noblemen who were admitted into the brotherhood, namely those of Auvergne, Provence, France, Aragon, Castille and Portugal, Italy, Baviere (Germany), and England (with Scotland and Ireland). To this very day, the Maltese Cross remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Knights of Malta Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > H > Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download . Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99... (Also known as KNIGHTS OF MALTA). The most important of all the military orders , both for the extent of its area and for its duration. It is said to have existed before the Crusades and is not extinct at the present time. During this long career it has not always borne the same name. Known as Hospitallers of Jerusalem until 1309, the members were called Knights of Rhodes from 1309 till 1522, and have been called Knights of Malta since 1530. The origins of the order have given rise to learned discussions, to fictitious legends and hazardous conjectures. The unquestionable founder was one Gerald or Gerard, whose birthplace and family name it has been vainly sought to ascertain.

On the other hand, his title as founder is attested by a contemporary official document, the Bull of Paschal II, dated 1113, addressed to "Geraudo institutori ac praeposito Hirosolimitani Xenodochii". This was certainly not the first establishment of the kind at Jerusalem . Even before the crusades , hostelries were indispensable to shelter the pilgrims who flocked to the Holy Places, and in the beginning the hospitia or xenodochia were nothing more. They belonged to different nations; a Frankish hospice is spoken of in the time of Charlemagne ; the Hungarian hospice is said to date from King St. Stephen (year 1000). But the most famous was an Italian hospice about the year 1050 by the merchants of Amalfi , who at that time had commercial relations with the Holy Land. Attempts have been made to trace the origin of the Hospitallers of St. John to this foundation, but it is obvious to remark that the Hospitallers had St. John the Baptist for their patron, while the Italian hospice was dedicated to St. John of Alexandria. Moreover, the former adopted the Rule of St.

Augustine , while the latter followed that of the Benedictines . Like most similar houses at that time, the hospice of Amalfi was in fact merely a dependency of a monastery , while Gerard's was autonomous from the beginning. Before the Crusades , the Italian hospital languished, sustained solely by alms gathered in Italy ; but Gerard profited by the presence of the crusaders , and by the gratitude felt for his hospitality, to acquire territory and revenues not only in the new Kingdom of Jerusalem , but in Europe  in Sicily , Italy , and Provence. In the acts of donation which remain to us, there is no mention of the sick, but only of the poor and strangers. In this respect the hospice of Gerard did not differ from others, and his epitaph defines his work: Pauperibus servus, pius hospitibus . . . . Undique collegit pasceret unde sous.

Thanks to the resources accumulated by Gerard, his successor, Raymond of Provence (1120-60), caused the erection of more spacious buildings near the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and henceforth the hospice became an infirmary served by a community of hospitallers in the modern sense of the word. Strictly speaking, therefore, the Hospitallers of Jerusalem only began with Raymond of Provence, to whom they owe their rule. This rule deals only with their conduct as religious and infirmarians, there being no mention of knights . It especially sets forth that the hospital shall permanently maintain at its expense five physicians and three surgeons. The brothers were to fulfil the duties of infirmarians. A pilgrim, about the year 1150, places the number of sick persons cared for at 2000, a figure evidently exaggerated, unless we make it include all the persons harboured in a whole year. Raymond continued to receive donations, and this permitted him to complete his foundation by a second innovation.

To accompany and defend at need, the arriving and departing pilgrims , he defrayed the cost of an armed escort, which in time became a veritable army, comprising knights recruited from among the crusaders of Europe , and serving as a heavy cavalry (see CHIVALRY ), and Turcopoles recruited from among the natives of mixed blood, and serving as light cavalry armed in the Turkish fashion. With this innovation originated the most ancient military dignities in the order: the marshal, to command the knights , the turcopolier, for the Turcopoles. Later the grand masters themselves went into battle. Gosbert (c. 1177), the fifth successor of Raymond, distinguished himself, and Roger de Moulins perished gloriously on the field of battle (1187). Thus the Order of St. John imperceptibly became military without losing its eleemosynary character. The statutes of Roger de Moulins (1187) deal only with the service of the sick; the first mention of military service is in the statutes of the ninth grand master, Alfonso of Portugal (about 1200).

In the latter a marked distinction is made between secular knights , externs to the order, who served only for a time, and the professed knights , attached to the order by a perpetual vow , and who alone enjoyed the same spiritual privileges as the other religious. Henceforth the order numbered two distinct classes of members: the military brothers and the brothers infirmarians. The brothers chaplains , to whom was entrusted the divine service, formed a third class. While the Order of St. John became a mixed order, that of the Templars was purely military from the beginning, and on this point it can claim priority, despite the contrary assertions of the Hospitallers . The Templars followed a different monastic rule and wore a different habit  the white habit of the Cistercians , whose rule they followed, with a red cross, while the Hospitallers had the black mantle with a white cross. In war the knightly brothers wore above their armour a red surcoat with the white cross. Mutually emulous from the outset, they soon became rivals, and this rivalry had much to do with the rapid decline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem .

In other respects the two orders held the same rank in Church and State , both being recognized as regular orders and endowed by the papacy with most extensive privileges, absolute independence of all spiritual and temporal authority save that of Rome , exemptions from tithes , with the right to have their own chapels , clergy and cemeteries. Both were charged with the military defense of the Holy Land, and the most redoubtable strongholds of the country, the splendid ruins of which still exist, were occupied by one or the other (Rey, "Monument de l'architecture militaire des Croisés", Paris, 1865). On the battlefield they shared between them the most perilous posts, alternately holding the van and rear guard. The history of the Hospitallers of Jerusalem is involved in that of the Latin Kingdom of the same name, with which the order was associated in prosperity and adversity. When the kingdom was at the height of its glory, the Hospitallers possessed no fewer than seven strongholds, some situated on the coast, others in the mountains; of these Margat and Krals, in the territory of Tripoli, are the most famous.

They enjoyed the revenues of more than one hundred and forty estates (casalia) in the Holy Land. As to their European possessions, a writer of the thirteenth century credits them with about nineteen thousand manses or manors. It was necessary to organize a financial administration in order to assure the regular payment of revenues of these widely scattered possessions. This was the task of Hugh of Ravel, seventeenth Grand Master of the Holy Land (c. 1270). The lands attached to a single house were placed under the command of a knight of the order, who formerly was called a preceptor, but afterwards took the title of commander. This official was charged with collecting the revenues, one portion of which was devoted to the support of his community, formed of a chaplain and some brothers; the other portion being destined for the houses of the Holy Land. This latter portion consisted of an annual and invariable impost called "Responsions". Thanks to these resources, drawn from Europe , the order was able to survive the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , which involved the loss of all its possessions in Asia .

After the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin (1187), the Hospitallers retained only their possessions in the Principality of Tripoli, and these they lost a century later by the fall of Acre (1291). They were obliged to seek refuge, under their grand master, Jean de Villiers, in the Kingdom of Cyprus , where they already had some possessions. King Amaury assigned them as a place of residence the town of Limassol on the coast. Having become islanders, the Hospitallers were obliged to modify their manner of warfare . They equipped fleets to fight the Muslims on the sea and to protect the pilgrims , who had not ceased to visit the Holy Places. But it was chiefly the conquest of the island of Rhodes , under the Grand Master Foulques de Villaret, that brought about a complete transformation of the order. The Knights of Rhodes (1309-1522) The Knights of Rhodes , the successors of the Hospitallers of St. John, were distinguished from the latter in many ways.

In the first place, the grand master of the order was thenceforward a temporal sovereign in that island, which constituted a true ecclesiastical principality, under the nominal suzerainty of the Emperors of the East. Secondly, although Villaret's first care was to build a new infirmary, the care of the sick took a secondary place, as the members of the order had scarcely occasion to devote themselves to any save the members of the community. The name knights then prevailed over that of hospitallers. This character was accentuated by the fusion of the Hospitallers with the remaining Knights Templar , subsequent to the suppression of the latter (1312). This fusion at the same time increased the wealth of the order, to which the pope assigned the property of the Templars in every country except Aragon and Portugal . In France , where Philip the Fair had sequestrated this property , the order obtained restitution only by paying large indemnities to the king. From this time its organization took its definitive form, the whole body being divided into tongues, priories , and commanderies.

The tongues, or nations, were eight in number, each having its own bailiff; and one of the eight supreme dignities was reserved to each tongue  to Provence, that of the grand commander; to Auvergne, that of marshal; to France , grand hospitaller; to Italy , admiral; to Aragon , standard-bearer; to Castile, grand chancellor; to Germany , grand bailiff; to England , turcoplier. (On these dignities see MILITARY ORDERS .) The grand master might be elected from any of the various tongues; he exercised supreme authority, but under control of the grand chapter and with the aid of several councils. Each tongue was subdivided into priories , and the head of each priory had the right to receive new knights and to visit the commanderies. The priories number twenty-four, and the commanderies, which were subdivisions of the priories , 656. All these posts were held according to seniority, the commanderies after three campaigns, which were known as "caravans". A most important change in the character of the order was the transformation of the knights into corsairs.

The piracy practiced by the Muslims was the scourge of the Mediterranean and especially of Christian commerce. The Knights of Rhodes , on their side, armed cruisers not only to give chase to the pirates, but to make reprisals on the Turkish merchantmen. With increasing audacity they made descents on the coast and pillaged the richest ports of the Orient, such as Smyrna (1341) and Alexandria (1365). However, a new Muslim power arose at this period  the Ottoman Turks of Iconium  and took the offensive against Christianity . After the fall of Constantinople , Mahomet II directed his attention to the task of destroying this den of pirates which made Rhodes the terror of the Muslim world. Henceforth the order, thrown on the defensive, lived perpetually on the alert. Once, under its grand master, Pierre d'Aubusson, it repulsed all the forces of Mahomet II in the siege of 1480. In 1522 Solyman II returned to the attack with a fleet of 400 ships and an army of 140,000 men.

The knights sustained this great onslaught with their habitual bravery for a period of six months under their grand master, Villiers de l'Isle Adam, and capitulated only when their supplies were completely exhausted. Their lives were spared, and they were permitted to withdraw. Solyman II, in homage to their heroism, lent them his ships to return to Europe . They dispersed to their commanderies and begged Charles V to grant them the island of Malta, which was a dependency of his kingdom of Sicily , and this sovereignty was granted them in 1530, under the suzerainty of the kings of Spain . The Knights of Malta (1530-1798) The Knights of Malta at once resumed the manner of life they had already practiced for two centuries at Rhodes . With a fleet which did not number more than seven galleys they resisted the Barbary pirates who infested the western basin of the Mediterranean. They formed a valuable contingent during the great expeditions of Charles V against Tunis and Algiers and at the memorable victory of Lepanto . The Knights of Malta were also permitted to equip galleys at their own expense to give chase to the Turkish galleys.

These enterprises did not fail to draw upon them fresh attacks from the Ottomans . Solyman II, regretting his generosity, gathered a second time all forces of his empire to dislodge the Christian corsairs from their retreat. The siege of Malta , quite as famous as that of Rhodes , lasted for four months (1565). The Turks has already taken possession of a part of the island, destroying nearly the whole of the old city, slaying half the knights and almost 8000 soldiers, when Malta was delivered by an army of relief from Spain . In retreating the Turks are said to have left 30,000 slain. A new city had to be built  the present city of Valette, so named in memory of its valiant grand master who had sustained this siege. Malta, however, was not rid of its most dangerous adversary until the battle of Lepanto (1571) which dealt the Ottoman fleet a fatal and final blow. From this time the history of Malta is reduced to a series of encounters by sea with the Barbary corsairs which have only local interest.

The struggle was carried on chiefly by younger knights who were in haste to accomplish their three "caravans" in order to merit some vacant commandery. It was an existence filled with perils of every kind, sudden attacks, adventures, successes and defeats. There was constant risk of life, or of liberty, which could be regained only at the cost of enormous ransoms. But when success came, the undertaking proved lucrative, not only defraying all costs but also enriching the captain. The best result was the deliverance of hundreds of Christian slaves, chained as rowers on the Turkish galleys. In requital the vanquished Turks were in turn reduced to slavery and sold to Christian galleys which had need of rowers. In this respect Malta remained a veritable slave-market until well into the eighteenth century. It required a thousand slaves to equip merely the galleys of the order, which were a hell for those unfortunates. It will be readily understood that the habit of living in the midst of these scenes of violence and brutality exercised a bad influence on the morals of the knights of the order. Discipline became relaxed and the grand mastership became a more and more perilous honour . Revolts were frequent.

In 1581 the grand master, Jean de la Cassière, was made prisoner by his own knights , whose principle grievance was the expulsion of lewd women . The vow of obedience was little better observed than that of celibacy . Once in possession of some commandery situated on the Continent, a knight would become indeed independent of the grand master's authority and maintain only the most remote relations with the order. As to the vow of poverty, the knights were recruited solely from among the nobility, proofs of noble descent being more severely scrutinized than religious dispositions, and naturally, the wealth of the order formed the only motive of these vocations. Its decay began, too, with the confiscation of its possessions. One effect of Protestantism was the alienation of a large group of commanderies, to be thenceforward appropriated to the Protestant nobility, as, for instance, the Bailiwick of Sonnenburg in Prussia . In other Protestant countries the order was simply suppressed. In Catholic countries the sovereigns themselves assumed more and more the right to dispose of the commanderies within their jurisdiction .

At last Malta, the very centre of the order, was treacherously surrendered under the grand master, the Count von Hompesch, to General Bonaparte when he made his expedition to Egypt (12 June, 1798). Present state of the order The secularization of the property of the order in Protestant countries was extended by the French Revolution to the greater number of Catholic countries. On the other hand, Czar Paul of Russia assigned them considerable property in his domains (1797), and in return was elected grand master, but his election was not recognized by the pope . From that time forward the pope has named the grand master of the bailiff who takes his place. From 1805 to 1879 there was no grand master, but Leo XIII re-established the dignity, bestowing it on an Austrian, Geschi di Sancta Croce. It is now (1910) held by Galeazzo von Thun Hohenstein. The actual conditions for admission to the order are: nobility of sixteen quarterings, the Catholic Faith , attainment of full legal age, integrity of character, and corresponding social position.

There are now in existence only four great priories , one in Bohemia , and three in Italy . There are still commanders and several classes of knights , with different insignia, but all wear the same eight-pointed Maltese cross (see PONTIFICAL DECORATIONS ). To the Order of the Knights of Malta belong the Convent of S. Maria del Priorato on the Aventine in Rome , overlooking the Tiber, and commanding from its gardens one of the most delightful views of the city. The walls of the convent are adorned with portraits of the knights , and the archives are rich in records of the order. The tombs of the knights in the convent church are interesting. The order was summoned to attend the Convention of Geneva (1864), on the same footing as the great powers. The Protestant Baliwick of Sonnenburg in Prussia disappeared after the secularization of its property in 1810. Nevertheless Frederick William IV created a new confraternity of "Evangelical Johannittes" (1852), under the master (Herrenmeister) always chosen from the royal family, and with a great number of other dignitaries.

Admission to the order is subject to numerous conditions, ancient nobility, corresponding social position, and entrance fee of 900 marks, a probation of at least four years as a knight of honor before admission of the accolade which confers the title of Knight of Justice. Their first obligation is to collect contributions for the support of hospitals . Thus this Protestant branch of the order has returned to the ideal of its first founder in the time of the First Crusade . Moreover, in times of war , since 1870, the order has been devoted to ambulance service on the field of battle. Malta History 1000 AD - present precession Knights of St. John (1530 - 1798) On 23 March 1530, the islands passed under the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, a chivalrous religious order initiated in 1099 and officially founded in Jerusalem in 1113. According to the chronicles, merchants from the ancient Marine Republic of Amalfi obtained from the Caliph of Egypt the authorization to build a church, convent and hospital in Jerusalem, to care for pilgrims of any religious faith or race.

Together with the Knights Templar , who were formed later in 1119, they became one of the most powerful Christian groups in the Middle East. The order came to distinguish itself in battles with the Muslims, its soldiers wearing a black surcoat St. John the Baptist is remembered for many things besides being the related ascetic who baptized Jesus. For both Islam and Christianity, he is considered the last prophet of the old testament. The Knights first structures in Jerusalem were built where a temple dedicated to him had been destroyed with a white cross. By the mid-12th century, the order was clearly divided into military brothers and those who worked with the sick. It was still a religious order and had useful privileges granted by the Papacy, for example, the order was exempt from all authority save that of the Pope, and it paid no tithes and was allowed its own religious buildings With the loss of Acre, the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land, to the Moslems in 1291, the Order settled first in Cyprus and then, in 1310, led by the Grand Master Fra' Foulques de Villaret, on the island of Rhodes.

Rhodes acted as a shield against the Turks for two centuries until 1522 when Suleiman the Magnificent ousted the Knights from Rhodes. After six months of siege and fierce combats against the fleet and army of Sultan Soliman the Magnificent, the Knights were forced to surrender in 1523. They left Rhodes with military honours. The Order remained without a territory of its own until 1530, when the Grand Master Fra' Philippe de Villiers de l'Isle Adam took possession of the island of Malta, a gift of the Emperor Charles V with the approval of Pope Clement VII. It was established that the Order should remain neutral in any war between Christian nations. The Knights of Malta at once resumed the manner of life they had already practiced for two centuries at Rhodes. With a fleet which did not number more than seven galleys they resisted the Barbary pirates who infested the western basin of the Mediterranean. They formed a valuable contingent during the great expeditions of Charles V against Tunis and Algiers. Arab forces were becoming increasingly aggressive and moving west. Christians captured in these raids were being sold for ransom or as slaves.

Short of funds, the Knights and Maltese become corsairs - a kind of pirate - attacking towns in North Africa and Turkish shipping. The Knights of Malta gave chase to the Turkish galleys. These enterprises did not fail to draw upon them fresh attacks from the Ottomans. Solyman II, regretting his generosity, gathered a second time all forces of his empire to dislodge the Christian corsairs from their retreat. In revenge, Suleyman the Magnificent raided Gozo and sold all 5000 inhabitants into slavery. In July of 1551, the Citadel was besieged by the Turks of Sinan Pasha. The medieval walls without flanks and terreplein to resist gunpowder bombardment were easy prey to besiegers and the fortifications soon succumbed. A tombstone in the local cathedral conveys some of the horror in its commemoration of the nobleman Bernardo Dupuo, who died fighting the Turkish priates, after killing his own wife and daughters to save them from slavery and concubinage, two fates worse than death. After the terror of 1551, recovery was slow and painful.

Some Gozitan slaves were traced and ransomed, but life was shattered and families left permanently split asunder, their various members sold to different owners in far-off lands. The Great Siege of Malta In 1565, hearing of a massive build-up of troops in Constantinople, the Order sent out urgent appeals to Christian rulers for help in what they sensed would shortly become a do-or-die combat; at this time Grand Master de Valette had only eight war galleys and 8,000 men at his command. THE GREAT SIEGE OF MALTA 1565 is a docu-drama in two 45 minute episodes released for worldwide televisionto coincide with the 900th Anniversary of the foundation of the Hospitalier Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta siegemalta.com/ The siege at Rhodes had taught the Knights to leave the countryside bare of people, animals and crops, and turn the fortifiable points into war cities, fully stocked with food, water and ammunition.

As the inland capital of Mdinaseemed vulnerable, Malta's defence rested defence rested ultimately on the Grand Harbour complex, particularly St Elmo fort at the seaward end of Mount Sceberras (now Valletta), St Angelo fort at the tip of Birgu (now Vittoriosa), and St Michael's fort on the Senglea promontory. Arms of the order of the hospital of the Knights of Saint John On may 18th, 1565, a Turkish fleet of 138 galleys approached the island. About 38,000 men disembarked at Marsaxlokk and eleven days later, another 3,000 men from another 38 ships joined them. The men were led by Dragut and the Bey of Algiers. The siege started with an attack on Fort St. Elmo. It is said that over sixty thousand cannon-balls were fired during the attack. Dragut was killed during the assault on the Fort. Facing them on Malta were no more than 8000, of whom 700 were Knights and the rest were Maltese or mercenaries. They took refuge in Mdina and Birgu.

The First Great Siege of Malta had begun. The siege of Malta, quite as famous as that of Rhodes, lasted for four months. The Turks had already taken possession of a part of the island, destroying nearly the whole of the old city, slaying half the knights and almost 8000 soldiers, when Malta was delivered by an army of relief from Spain. Never was Malta's unique position more important. All Europe realized what was at stake. As Queen Elizabeth of England said, "If the Turks should prevail against the Isle of Malta, it is uncertain what further peril might follow to the rest of Christendom." Italy, France and Spain would be open to Turkish invasion... The advance force from Sicily arrived despite the fate of St Elmo. It numbered only 600 men but, achieving surprise, it made a vital difference. The Knights, their luck holding out, were warned by a Turkish deserter about a plan for Senglea to be attacked from the south, and this gave the Order time to build a line of defensive stakes which successfully repulsed the attack. Requests for assistance were smuggled repeatedly out of the island.

The Maltese were one with the Knights, determined, whatever the cost, to be rid of the Turkish invader-though of the nobles there is barely a word in contemporary records; presumably they sat it out in their palaces in Mdina. The main relief force set out at last from Syracuse with 8,000 Spanish and Italian soldiers, the dispirited Turks sailed home with only a quarter of their army intact, leaving Malta to its tattered peace. Malta had lost 219 Knights and 9,000 inhabitants, yet de Valette's genius quickly rekindled the islanders' spirit with a massive peacetime project; the building of a fortified city. Throughout our Order, the birthday of Madonna on Mount Phileremos is kept with great solemnity in thanksgiving for the raising of the Turkish siege of Malta on 8 September 1565. A new capital of Malta had to be built, Valletta was named in honor of the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valetta under whose inspired guidance the Knights and the Maltese had defied the Turkish onslaught.

Malta, however, was not rid of its most dangerous adversary until the battle of Lepanto (1571) which dealt the Ottoman fleet a fatal blow. The Knights quickly improved trade and commerce on the islands, built new hospitals and, most importantly, erected new strong fortifications. This spurred Grand Master de la Valette to build the City of Valletta and its now historic bastions and palaces. Valletta has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. The Knights of St. John had successfully protected Southern Europe and Christendom. After their victory against the Turks, the Knights turned enthusiastically to the further development of Malta and Gozo. A golden era in culture, architecture and the arts followed. Many of Malta's most attractive building were built during this period. The new remarkable fortress city, Valletta, was built. Valletta is one of the earliest examples of a planned city built on the grid system. The Knights of St. John, coming as they did from the richest families in Europe, could afford to hire the best talent available and the buildings of Valletta, its fortifications and the art treasures in its museums and churches, are the work of the best European engineers and artists of the time.

It was the magnificence of is palaces and other treasures that led Sir Walter Scott to describe Valletta as "The city built by gentlemen for gentlemen." The Order was governed by the Grand Master (the Prince of Rhodes) and the Council, minted its own money and maintained diplomatic relations with other States. The high offices of the Order were given to representatives of different Langues; and the seat of the Order, the Convent, was composed of various nationalities. The fall of the Ottoman Empire marked the beginning of the end of the military vocation of the Order. However, the absence of a serious military threat to the Order's existence, and their increasing wealth, arrogance, lack of discipline and debauchery, ate into the moral fabric of the Order. Eventually, serious problems undermined the Knights' position; tensions grew between the Church and the Knights. The poorer Maltese became resentful. For their part, the Knights became complacent and insular. When Muslim shipping targets became harder to find, and when revolution broke out in France removing a valuable source of income by the confiscation of the Order's property, funds became a problem.

Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan (1775-97) provided money for Louis XVI's doomed attempt to escape from Pair. By the late 18th century around 75% of the Order's income came from the Knights of the French langue, so when the revolutionary authorities confiscated all o the Order's properties and estates in France, the Order was left in dire financial straits. French 1798-1800 On June 12th, Napoleon entered Valletta bringing to an end 268 years of rule by the Knights of St. John. As a ruse, Napoleon had asked for safe harbor to resupply his ships then enroute to Egypt, and then turned against his hosts once safely inside Valetta. Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch failed to anticipate or prepare for this threat, provided no effective leadership, and readily capitulated to Napoleon. The Knights, because of the Rule of the Order that prohibited them to raise weapons against other Christians, were forced to leave Malta. FRENCH CONNECTION Napoleon was a Freemason as were most French members of the Knights of St. John and many others although this was a well-kept secret.

In fact rumor has it that Napoleon was " made" in Malta although evidence is scant, it is established that Napoleon appointed his 4 brothers to high rank in the Masonic Brotherhood Napoleon spent six eventful days in Malta during which, through numerous edicts, he tried to transform the island into a typical "Department" of France. It is also considered the most likely time for his initiation into Freemasonry. In 1800 the British occupied Malta, but although the sovereign rights of the Order in the island of Malta had been recognized with the Treaty of Amiens (1802), the Order was never allowed to return to Malta, although the French knights were allowed to remain German Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch (1797-98) was given three days to gather belongings and vacate the island. The Order continued to exist in a diminished form and negotiated with European governments for a return to power. The Emperor of Russia gave the largest number of Knights shelter in St Petersburg and this gave rise to the Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller and recognition within the Russian Imperial Orders.

La Malmaison collection Napoleon appointed his brothers to Masonic office: [clockwise] Louis (1778/08/02 - 1846/07/25) was named Deputy Grand Master in 1805; Jerome (1784/11/15 - 1860/06/24) was Grand Master of the Grand Orient Westphalia; the eldest, Joseph (1768/01/07- 1844/07/28), was made a freemason at the Tuilleries in April of 1805, and appointed Grand Master of the Grand Orient of France; and Lucien (1775/05/21 - 1840/06/29) was a member of the Grand Orient of France. Free Masons were the successors of the Templars whose vengeance against the successors of King Philip the Fair had been accomplished by Napoleon himself more Napoleon departed for Egypt, weighted down with much in looted treasure from the many palaces and churches of the Knights.

Most of these treasures were lost at sea and have never been recovered following the battle a few months later when the British Navy under Admiral Nelson destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. The sunken treasure has not yet been found. Napoleon left behind a garrison of 4000 men but the Maltese soon revolted and invited the English to join them. A naval blockade was enforced under the command of Captain Alexander Ball and the French garrison capitulated in September of 1800 The Treaty of Amiens (March 1802) provided for the return of Malta to the Knights but the Maltese appealed to the British to stay to prevent their return to governance. The British were inclined to allow the Knights to return despite appeals from the Maltese when war again broke out with France in May 1803. the strategic importance of Malta was underscored by Admiral Nelson who had previously been indifferent to British presence on Malta. "I now declare that I consider Malta as a most important outwork...I hope we shall never give it up." he wrote. The Black Madonna The Madonna on Mount Phileremos was long considered the Knights most precious possession believed that it was painted by St.

Luke (like Poland's Lady of Czestochowa ) and brought to Rhodes from Jerusalem about the year 1000. Its fame as a wonder-working image was known all over the Aegean. After the Napoleonic conquest of Malta in 1798, it was one of the few treasures that Grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch was permitted to take out of the island. On 12 October 1799, after the resignation of Hompesch, it was presented, together with the relics of the Hand of the Baptist and a splinter of the True Cross, to Tsar Paul I who had, meanwhile, been elected Grandmaster by knights seeking a new benefactor. After a complex journey from Denmark to Berlin the icon was sent to the Orthodox Monastery of Ostrog, near Niksic, in Montenegro. The original icon of Our Lady of Philermos, now in the National Museum of Cetinje, Montenegro With the recent success of the Da Vinci Code some sources like wikipedia trace Black Madonna's extraordinary veneration to the story that Mary Magdalene fled to France with Jesus' child following the crucifixion.

However hundreds of the icons each stand on their own as the source of miracles in their community. The USA state of California was named after a Black Queen who was said to have fought on the side of Knights in Turkey. Throughout the history of Christianity, Black Madonnas often achieve a special mysterious place in the hearts of their subjects like in Mexico Emperor Paul I, Grand Master Order of St. John, 1798-1801. The Emperor of Russia Paul I was murdered in 1801 after coming to the aid of the Knights of Malta. wiki/Paul_of_Russia After having temporarily resided in Messina, Catania and Ferrara, in 1834 the Order settled in Rome, where it owned the Palace of Malta in Via Condotti 68 and the Villa on the Aventine, both of which have extraterritoriality status. From then, the original hospitaller mission became the main activity of the Order, and grew stronger throughout the last century, especially because of the contribution of the activities carried out by the Grand priories and National Associations in the various countries of the world. French rule in Malta, was short-lived.

By 1800 the Maltese, with the help of Nelson, drove the French garrison out of Malta and sought the protection of the British throne. British (1800 - 1964) Malta and Gozo became formally a British Crown Colony in 1813 and the island was slowly transformed into a fortress colony. FORTRESS MALTA: The second great siege came during World War II, Malta was one of the staging areas when the islands strategic importance at the center of the Meditereane brought early attention in 1940. Malta had to be defended but the early months saw much damage as the islands' air defenses, initially composed of three Gloster Gladiator biplanes which the locals immediately christened Faith, Hope and Charity, were brought up to scratch with the inclusion of Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. Over 1941 and 1942, 3000 raids occurred, the Maltese resistance to the Axis bombardments during the second World War is legendary Once again, the tide turned in Malta'a favour. But not before King George VI made a gesture unique in history.

On the 15th April, 1942 he awarded the George Cross to the Maltese Nation, an honour still proudly borne by the Maltese on their flag. The scroll accompanying the medal reads "To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history Both General Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt were visitors to the island and FDR paid tribute to the Maltese people for their valorous service to the war effort by presenting a plaque on December 8th, 1943. Malta became independent in 1964 and adopted a Republican Constitution in 1974. Malta joined the European Union on May1, 2004. It is expected to adopt the Euro as its currency sometime in 2008. It's position on abortion finds Malta by itself as the most religiously conservative with the only total prohibition [ malta+prohibition google search ] Malta will no doubt serve the rest of the Western world well as it attempts to reconcile its deeply felt spiritual values with its history as a harbinger of the new ages. St.

John's Co-Cathedral Valletta, Malta St. John's Co-Cathedral Valletta, Malta by Sir Knight Oliver Craughwell Situated in the Mediterranean, the small archipelago of Malta is steeped in history, from the Neolithic period, the shipwreck of St. Paul, right up to the blitz of WWII. The Sovereign Military Hospitaler Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta or the Knights of Malta, as they later became known, arrived in Malta in 1530 after being gifted the Island from Charles V of Spain. Fort St. Angelo (Birgu) became the seat of the Grand Master. After the onslaught of the Ottoman invasion in 1565 and their subsequent demise, plans were laid to fortify the whole island. In fact, Malta is one of the most fortified countries in the world. Watch towers encompass the whole of the three islands, all within sight of the next to relay messages back to the capital using fires on the roofs of the towers. A true gem for the military historian! This brings us to its crown jewel, St. Johns Co-Cathedral.

Construction started on the Cathedral in 1572 and was completed in 1577. With a plain facade and two bell towers, the church resembles a fortress instead of a place of worship. Two Doric columns, either side of the door, hold a balcony from which the Grand Master, who holds the rank of Cardinal in the Holy Roman Church, would address the population on special occasions. The sculpture of Christ above the entrance was originally placed at the entrance to the harbor. The architect of St. Johns was the Maltese Gerolamo Cassar, the Knights own military engineer. On a side note, the term "Co-Cathedral" originates with the seat of the Bishop of Malta. Since his seat was in the older capital Mdina, he often used St. Johns, being the conventual church of the Knights as his second see. On entering the church, one is awed by the magnificent artistry, ornately carved walls, beautifully painted barrel ceilings, and priceless antiquities. The barrel vault ceiling was painted by Mattia Preti, who used oil based paint rather than the usual water colors for his frescos; this makes the imagery look deeper.

The ceiling took him six years to complete, and tells of many knightly adventures and of John the Baptist's life. Extending outward from the entrance, the long rectangular nave draws your eye toward the richly decorated altar. The floor is made entirely of marble tombstones decorated with various expressions and achievements. Many of the order's illustrious Knights, who came from some of Europe's most powerful Catholic families, are buried here. Many of the tombs depict skulls and hourglasses, representing the end of a life on earth and the beginning of an eternal one. Nowadays these symbols seem, to many, to bear a morbid or arcane impression as can be seen with the discontinued use of the Knight Templar apron. On either side of the nave are the Chapels of the various Langues of the Order. Since the order's members spoke different languages, many fortifications were divided among the various nationalities or "langues." Each chapel is highly decorated, and each altar is adorned by a beautiful painting dedicated to a Saint. The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian from the Chapel of Auvergne can be seen above.

One of the nine chapels represented is the Chapel of Our Lady of Philermos, which held the religious icon "Madonna Philermos," one of the most sacred relics belonging to the Knights which they brought from the Holy land. It was taken to Malta from Rhodes by Grand Master L'Isle Adam, hero of the siege at Rhodes, who along with 5,000 soldiers held the Island for six months against Suleiman's 200,000 man army. When the Knights were successful in battle, they would hang the keys of the captured fortresses next to the relic. Keys in this chapel include castles in Lepanto (from the huge naval battle) and Patras. It is mentioned that the relic was removed from the Island after Napoleon invaded and is housed in Montenegro. However there still remain two copies in the chapel, which I couldn't discern from the original.

Its journey around Europe is fascinating; Tzars, bombings, fires etc.the Chapel of Auvergne; the Chapel of Aragon (which held the relic of the True Cross); the Chapel of Castile, Leon and Portugal; the Chapel of Germany (previously of the English who fell from favor after they broke with Rome); the Chapel of Italy; the Chapel of France; the Chapel of Provence; and the Chapel of the Anglo-Bavarian langue. The French langues were the most senior, thus their chapels are placed closest to the altar. In turn, each of the chapels contains the bodies of Grand Masters that represented the Langues. They are hugely ornate and maybe not as politically correct in our times as in theirs. It is contested, but many of the French Knights were members of the Freemasons, including two Grand Masters, Manuel Pinto de Fonseca from Portugal and Grand Master de Rohan. This would have been a major taboo at the time! It is even noted that Pope Pius IX was a member of the fraternity. Allegedly there are minutes about him receiving the degrees in Monte Video. Further research will determine how true this is.

Some of our symbolism can be seen in the floor and in the artwork of the Chapel of the French Langues. Various symbols such as the cornucopia, the scales, and the symbolic pelican are displayed which have similar meanings in Christianity and Freemasonry. Some of the most revered members of the order were buried in the vault directly beneath the altar. This is where Jean de la Valette, hero of the great siege of 1565, is interred as well as Philippe de L'Isle-Adam, hero of the siege of Rhodes and Alof de Wignacourt who built many of the towers around Malta including St. Mary's Tower on Comino which was portrayed in the 2002 film, "The Count of Monte Cristo." On the outer right side of the church Caravaggio's magnificent painting "The beheading of John the Baptist" can be seen. The painting is gigantic and covers an entire wall. It is the only known painting which Caravaggio signed. Caravaggio, being a member of the order for a short period, was later expelled for seriously wounding a knight in a brawl; he had already been absolved of murder.

Some of the other priceless and highly regarded items that are contained here are the fine collection of choral books, the Flemish tapestries, and a huge Ciro Ferri Monstrance. This huge brass urn once held St. John the Baptist's hand that baptized Christ in the river Jordan. This, like many other items was removed from Malta by permission of Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch when Napoleon invaded in 1798. Valletta itself has many other churches which the Knights built. Behind the cathedral lies the Grand Master's Palace, which has a huge armory and museum. Each of the hallways is lined with suits of armor that were donated when the knight passed away. This is now the seat of the president of Malta. It is well worth a visit for the history buff or the curious traveler. I also highly recommend visiting the cathedral's website for pictures of the various tombs and chapels. Sir Knight Oliver Craughwell is a member of Lynn Commandery No. 9 in Marion, Virginia. This material he was kind enough to share with us as a result of his recent trip to Malta. He can be contacted at: olivercraughwell@hotmail.com Update: July 11, 2014

Question: On which Mediterranean Island did the Knights Templars have the Fort of St Johns?
Answer: MALTA