The order arose in Jerusalem in 1048 thanks to merchants from Amalfi (a town south of Naples) as a hospice (“hospital” in Latin) for Christian pilgrims. In 1099, after the capture of Jerusalem on July 15 by the crusaders under the leadership of Gottfried of Bouillon, he was transformed into a spiritual and knightly Order. It got its name from the temple erected by the Order in Jerusalem in the name of St. John the Baptist. In 1113, Pope Paschal II officially approved the Order.

In 1118 the Order became a military monastic order and at the beginning of the 13th century. was the main military force of Christians in Palestine, holding back the onslaught of Muslims. But the forces were unequal and in 1187 the Hospitallers left Jerusalem and settled in Akka, and in 1291 they completely left Palestine.

Initially, the Order settled on the island of Cyprus, and in 1307-1310. - on Rhodes, which was conquered from Byzantium.

For the next 214 years of their history, the Ionite knights waged a difficult, almost continuous struggle with the Turks, in which they not only strengthened their glory, but also became a maritime power. Since that time, the struggle of the Christian states with the Turkish fleet was not complete without the participation of the ships of the Order of St. John.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Order of St. John remained the only enemy of the Turks in the eastern Mediterranean. The Turks tried several times to defeat the Order, whose fleet until the end of the 18th century. ensured the safety of navigation in the Mediterranean Sea, fighting against pirates and Muslim fleets.

In 1480, the St. Johnites, led by the Grand Master Pierre d'Aubusson, repelled an attack by a 70,000-strong Turkish army. However, in 1522, Sultan Suleiman laid siege to Rhodes with a force of 700 ships and 200 thousand troops (against 600 knights and 5 thousand soldiers of the Order). For more than a year, the knights held the island, but, having received no help from Christian countries, Grand Master Philippe Villiers de Lille Adam began negotiations with the Turks to save the remnants of his order.

The Sultan offered honorable terms of surrender, which were accepted and on the night of January 1, 1523, the surviving knights left Rhodes on 50 ships.

In May 1523, the knights of the Order arrived in Messina, but the plague forced them to leave the city. Then Emperor Charles V, seeking to strengthen his influence in the Mediterranean, gave the Order the eternal possession of the city of Tripoli on the coast of North Africa, recently conquered by the Spaniards, and the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. The Order came into possession of the Maltese archipelago on October 26, 1530, and from that time it became known as the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of Malta.

The Johnnites were able to hold Tripoli only until 1551, but the rocky island of Malta became a reliable stronghold not only of the order, but of the entire Christian world in the center of the Mediterranean.

The first battle off the coast of Malta, which ended in the defeat of the Turks, took place in July 1551. And from May 18 to September 8, 1565, the Order (400-700 knights and 6-7 thousand soldiers), under the command of Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette, whose name is currently the capital of Malta, withstood the siege of 100 thousand Turkish army and navy. On October 7, 1571, the fleet of the Order inflicted a major defeat on the Turkish fleet in the Gulf of Lepanto.

In May 1698, boyar B.P. Sheremetev is a confidant of the Moscow Tsar Peter Alekseevich. Although the royal charter indicated that the boyar was going to Malta to “hunt him”, and he himself explained his trip to the island with a desire “to increase his military ability to perceive the hunt”, it is obvious that he had diplomatic instructions for the kingdom to enter the anti-Turkish alliance . Obviously, for the same purpose, the knights were visited in July 1698 by the royal steward P.A. Tolstoy. However, then contacts between Moscow and Malta ceased.

Only in 1764, Empress Catherine II instructed Prince D. A. Golitsyn, her envoy in Vienna, to pick up a knight of Malta, well-versed in the construction and management of galleys. Later, Russian military sailors were sent to study with the Knights of Malta, who spent several years there.

However, despite the activity of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean during the Russian-Turkish war, Russia did not show much interest in Malta, although in January 1770 the first chargé d'affaires, the Marquis of Cavalcabo, appeared here.

When presented to the Grand Master Pinto, the Marquis of Cavalcabo immediately handed over two letters from Empress Catherine II, in which she asked for assistance to the squadron of G. A. Spiridov and thanked for accepting officers for training.

Although the knights refused to help the Russians in the war with the Turks, contacts continued: Count Maze was accepted into the Russian service; Count A.G. Orlov sent 86 captured Algerians to the Grand Master of the Order in exchange for Christians captured by pirates; Russian ships entered Malta for repairs; in August 1772, Count A.G. visited Malta incognito. Orlov.

From the beginning of the XVIII century. the decline of the Order began, as the need for its naval service began to disappear, and the French Revolution, by Decree of 1792, confiscated all the property of the Order in France.

In this situation, contacts between Russia and the Order of Malta resumed and on January 4, 1797, the “Convention concluded with the Sovereign Order of Malta and its Grand Meister Preeminence - on the establishment of this Order in Russia” was signed, which established the Russian Roman Catholic Grand Priory as part of the "rank of the Grand Priory and of the ten Commanderies." On November 17, 1797, the Surplus Articles of the Convention were signed, establishing three more commanderships.

However, the Convention only partially compensated for the losses of the Order of Malta from the French Revolution and could not protect against an immediate threat to the Order itself.

On June 10, 1798, on the way from the port of Toulon to Egypt, the French fleet, on whose ships the army was under the command of General Bonaparte, anchored off the island of Malta. Bonaparte acted decisively, and since, according to the rules of the Order, one cannot raise arms against Christians, the knights were forced to sign a convention on June 12, according to which Malta passed under the sovereignty of France, and the knights had to leave the island within three days.

In response to this, on August 26, 1798, the knights of the Russian Grand Priory gathered in the "Castle of the Knights of Malta" on Sadovaya Street in St. Petersburg. They protested against the capture of Malta, condemned the Grand Master Baron Gompesh for surrendering the island without a fight and announced his deposition, and also decided to turn to Emperor Paul I with a request to accept the Order of St. John under his patronage.

On September 10, Paul I received "all well-intentioned members of the order under his highest leadership" and St. Petersburg was declared the headquarters of the Order of Malta, the knights of all "languages" and priories were invited to Russia, and the president of the Academy of Sciences, Baron Nikolai, was instructed to designate the island of Malta in the published calendar as "Province of the Russian Empire".

On October 27, members of the Russian Grand Priory and the Knights of Malta, who were in Russia, proclaimed Emperor Paul I Grand Master of the Jerusalem Order of St. John, and on November 13, 1798, the emperor announced his consent to accept this title. However, some of the great priories, in particular Catalonia, Navarre, Aragon, Castile and Rome, refused to recognize Paul I as Grand Master.

Coat of arms of the Russian Empire with the Maltese cross

Nevertheless, at the initiative of the emperor, difficult negotiations began with the British about the fate of Malta after its liberation from the French. However, after September 5, 1800, when the French garrison capitulated, England did not meet the wishes of the Russian emperor, which deeply offended him and Russia withdrew from the second anti-French coalition, and soon there was a rapprochement between Paul I and Napoleon. But on the night of March 12, 1801, the Russian emperor was killed in the Mikhailovsky Castle by conspirators, among whom there were many knights of the Order of Malta.

This was followed by the rapid decline of the Order in Russia. Already on March 16, 1801, a Manifesto was issued on the acceptance by the new emperor Alexander I of only the title of protector of the order. On April 18, 1801, a decree was issued on the exclusion from the title of Emperor "Grand Master", on April 26, by a personal decree, the Senate was ordered to remove the Maltese cross from the Russian state emblem, and in 1817 the Russian Order of St. John of Jerusalem was abolished and Russian subjects were forbidden to wear Maltese crosses.

Despite the fact that the sovereign rights of the Order to Malta were confirmed by the Treaty of Amiens (1802), the Order was unable to return to the island. Since 1834, after a temporary stay in Messina, Catania and Ferrara (in Italy), the Order finally settled in Rome, where, on the basis of extraterritorial property, it owns the Main Palace on Via Condotti 68 and the Main Villa on the Aventine Hill, and the Order itself is actually charitable organization.

Flag

The state flag of the Order depicts a white straight cross, the so-called. Latin.

But on the so-called knightly flag, used in the daily needs of the Order, a white eight-pointed cross is depicted, the so-called. Maltese. It has been used in the Order for as long as the Latin and symbolizes the most ancient ties of the Order with the Republic of Amalfi.

The official website of the Order about the history of the flag says the following: “It is called the flag of St. John and has been used since ancient times. In the "History of the Order" Giuseppe Bosio (1589) there is a record that in 1130 Pope Innocent II issued an order: "... Monasticism must fight under a flag with a white cross on a red field."

After the bull of Pope Alexander IV (1259) allowing the knights at war to wear a red robe with a white cross, the Order began to use the Latin cross as its emblem. In 1291 the Order moved from the Vatican to Cyprus, where its vocation for navigation flourished. Since then, for the next six centuries, knightly flags fluttered over the ships of the Order.

Main residence: Palazzo di Malta in Rome

Official languages: Latin and Italian.

The head of the Order is the Grand Master, who has the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, who governs the Order with the assistance of the Sovereign Council, headed by him. The Council consists of the four highest officers of the Grand Mastery, elected by the General Chapter: the Grand Commander, the Grand Chancellor, the Grand Hospitaller and the Holder of the General Treasury; as well as six members of the Council.

On February 15, 1113, Pope Paschal II adopted the charter of the Order of the Hospitallers. This is how one of the most famous and ancient knightly orders in the world appeared - the Order of Malta. It still exists today. Here are some interesting facts about him

How did it appear

The history of the Order of Malta spans more than one century. According to the legend of the Maltese themselves, it was founded almost in the 6th century AD. saint Mauritius. However, the first official data about the order appeared only in the 11th century in Jerusalem. At first it was a hospital where they received pilgrims who came to the heavenly city by the thousands. To get to Jerusalem, people had to make a long journey by sea and land. Many dangers awaited them on the road: marauders, pirates. In those days, incessant wars raged in the Holy Land, and the slave trade flourished. So the first hospitallers decided to found a hospice for Christian pilgrims. The permission of the authorities was issued in 1048, and a Christian mission appeared near the Holy Sepulcher. A temple was built here. The Brotherhood offered shelter, food to the pilgrims, and even wounds were healed for the guests.

With the first crusade, everything changed. To protect the walls of the hospital, the rector of the brotherhood, Gerard, proposed to transform the brotherhood into an order, and its members pledged to observe vows, the main of which were chastity, renunciation of worldly goods and obedience.

Caste of the Order of Malta

From the day of its formation, the order adhered to Christian covenants, there were strict rules within it. According to the charter of the order, those who were part of it were divided into three groups. The knights, of course, were considered a privileged part of the organization. They fought and also healed people. The rank below were the priests, then came the squires.

It is noteworthy that moneylenders and merchants were never taken. Only nobles were accepted as knights. The procedure was very difficult. For example, a man had to document his noble origin without fail. Women were closed to many other orders of chivalry, and the monks accepted novices into their ranks.

Wealth of the Hospitallers

Despite the vow of non-possession, the Hospitallers never lived in poverty. They got wealth in different ways. In the Middle Ages, when the order concentrated on Rhodes and Malta, the knights fought pirates and infidels. The property of the enemies, of course, became the property of the invaders. Often there were cases when merchants turned to the knights for help and asked them to accompany their caravans on the way, so that the soldiers would protect the goods from robbers.

How the Order of Malta was plundered

Hard times for the order came in the 18th century, when Malta found itself at the center of the struggle between England, Russia and France for influence in the Mediterranean. It is clear that the knights were in the way of Napoleon. Although, I must say that the locals accepted the conqueror with a bang. This could not but affect the financial well-being of the knights. Treasuries where precious stones, art objects, medallions, books were kept were looted. It got to the point that Napoleon's soldiers stole utensils in houses and churches, and even chipped off the ancient coats of arms of knights from the walls. Later, scientists calculated that the French army caused damage to the order of almost three tens of millions of lire.

Betrayal

There is a version that the Order of Malta lost ground to Napoleon because of the betrayal of the Grand Master, who at that time was Ferdinand Gompesh. He simply opened the doors to the French army and signed the act of surrender. In gratitude to Gompesh, some shrines were left, which the grandmaster managed to take out of Malta.

The fate of treasures and the role of the Russian Emperor Paul I

Most of the wealth of the Hospitallers was lost in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Napoleon was taking out treasures on board the Oryan ship, but on the way he was attacked by the British, and the ship sank. It is also known that many valuables were melted down and then simply sold. Least of all treasures came to Russia. At that time, the Russian Emperor Paul I patronized the knights of the Order of Malta. He sheltered those who fled from Malta after the invasion of Napoleon. In return, the order gave Paul the title of protector and gave him the main shrines. Now in Russia there are crosses that are sometimes presented at exhibitions.

What were the names of the knights of the Order of Malta at different times

It is curious that since its foundation, the Order of Malta has never ceased to exist. In total it was ruled by 79 Grand Masters. By the way, the Russian Emperor Paul I became the 72nd in this list, having received the title in 1799. As soon as the knights were not called at different times. They began to be called the Knights of Rhodes when they settled on the island of the same name in the fifteenth century. Many members of the order were good doctors, for which they were called hospitallers. The knights were also called the knights of St. John, Jerusalem, Malta. The last name stuck the best.

What languages ​​did the knights speak?

It is clear that nobles of various nationalities and speakers of different languages ​​were accepted into the Order of Malta. But the order was a kind of separate state structure. By the way, even now the knights position their organization as a separate state with its own currency. But in the Middle Ages, the so-called langs developed in the order so that people could better contact each other. Each lang was led by a high-ranking knight. Initially, there were seven langs: English, French, Germanic, Aragonese, Italian, Auvergne and Provencal. It is noteworthy that, for example, the Slavic languages ​​were classified as Germanic. Then the langs disappeared, but later national associations appeared, of which there are 47 today.

Distinctions of the Order

The main difference between the knights of the Order of Malta was the white eight-pointed cross. This symbol was also on the clothes of members of the order; various objects were decorated with a cross. Thus, he indicated belonging to the brotherhood. The cross was sewn to the black cloak usually worn by the Hospitallers. On a campaign, they put on a scarlet cape, and a large cross flaunted in front. The knights carried the same cross made of gold on a black moire ribbon with them.

Legend

According to legend, thirty years later, the Johnites decided to give the Spanish king a falcon as a sign of respect, but not alive, but made of gold, adorned with diamonds and other precious stones. However, on the way, the ship carrying the messenger with the gift was attacked by pirates. Now the members of the order themselves and other hunters for easy money and treasures are looking for a curiosity all over the world.

Like centuries ago, on the streets of the main city of the island of Malta, Valletta, you can meet a real Maltese knight. True, he will not be dressed in sparkling armor, but in an ordinary civilian suit. The once mighty knightly order gradually turned into a club of wealthy benefactors. You don't even have to be a noble to become a member. It is enough to pay an entrance fee.
Malta is the southernmost outpost of Western Europe in the Mediterranean Sea. This island, lying at the crossroads of sea routes with a convenient, well-protected harbor, has been an eternal bone of contention for the Mediterranean countries for thousands of years. It's hard to believe now, but in pre-Biblical times, Malta was covered with dense forests. They were brought together by the Phoenicians - for the construction of ships and just for fuel. After the Phoenicians, the island was ruled by the Carthaginians, then by the Romans. From them Malta passed to the Byzantines. Those were expelled by the Arabs, who ruled the island for more than two hundred years, until the Normans conquered it at the end of the 11th century. Malta is a small island. Only 27 km long and 14.5 wide. That is, the entire island easily fits within the Moscow ring road. But, despite its miniature size, it became famous all over the world. Mainly thanks to the knights of the Order of Malta. The island was granted to the Order of the Jannites in 1530 on the condition that the knights would defend Malta from North African pirates and the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which waged endless wars with Christian Europe.
However, the history of the Order did not begin in Malta, but five centuries earlier. When in 1099 the Crusaders conquered the Holy Sepulcher from the "infidels" - as the Muslims were then called, thousands of Christian pilgrims immediately rushed to the holy city of Jerusalem. Shelter and medical assistance they found in the so-called "hospitals" - the original meaning of the word: "hospital home." The arrangement of such houses was carried out by knightly-monastic brotherhoods, which over time were transformed into orders and became a formidable military force. One of these orders maintained a hospital at the church of St. John the Baptist - its members began to be called "Joannites" or "Hospitallers". The Knights of St. John took a vow, similar to a monastic one, and as a sign that they were devoting themselves to the service of the Lord, they sewed a cross, now known as the Maltese, on their clothes of a special form.
At the end of the 13th century, Muslims pushed the Joannites first to Cyprus, and then to the island of Rhodes. But they had to leave that one too - then Malta became the haven of the knights. At first they wanted to make Mdina their new capital. This ancient fortified city is located extremely favorably: on a hill rising in the middle of the island. It was founded, apparently, by the Phoenicians at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. In the ancient capital of the island - the city of Mdina - literally at every step you can find an absolutely incredible combination of eras.
The Knights of Malta, as the Johnites began to be called after moving to Malta, erected even more powerful fortifications and thoroughly rebuilt Mdina. Today's Maltese call it "the city of silence". Only 400 people live here. Oriental in spirit, narrow streets are decorated with individual baroque buildings with sculptural images of the Madonna and Catholic saints. Until the season starts, Mdina, even in the center, where local souvenir shops are concentrated, is deserted. In the summer, the picture will be completely different ...
Mdina was good for everyone, but organizing the protection of the coast from it turned out to be an impossible task. And the Jannites had to make their residence the town of Birgu, located on a cape that closes the most convenient bay in Malta. Here, fortifications were hastily erected, which for the then Europe were the pinnacle of fortification art. Soon these fortifications served the knights well. The Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, calling on the combined fleet of North African pirates to help him, laid siege to Birgu, and his troops, almost without resistance, began to devastate Malta.
In 1565, behind the walls of Fort San Angelo, only six hundred knights of Malta fought off the attacks of forty thousand Turkish troops for three months. As a result, the Turks retreated. After that, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Jean Parisot de la Valette, in order to better strengthen the island, founded a city on the other side of the harbor. Subsequently, it was named after him - Valletta. Suleiman was forced to lift the siege and retreat only after help from Sicily came to the knights. The victory of the Order of Malta put an end to the undivided rule of the Muslims in the Mediterranean. But the knights continued to fight with the Ottoman Empire for more than two hundred years.
In memory of the "Great Siege" on the parade ground of Fort San Elmo - which at one time fell under the onslaught of the Turks - the Maltese arrange theatrical garrison reviews. To the sounds of a military band, detachments of pikemen and musketeers enter the courtyard of the fort ... The head of the garrison walks along the line, checking the equipment of each ... Then the soldiers demonstrate combat techniques to the commander ... The muskets in their hands are not real - a barrel made four hundred years ago may not withstand the pressure of powder gases . But these are exact copies of those muskets that were used in the old days. And they are loaded with coarse-grained black powder made according to an old recipe ... Only bullets are not driven into the barrel - they are limited to wads ... Unlike muskets, guns and mortars are the very ones that fired at the Turks several centuries ago ... Instead of cores, they are now also loaded with wads alone ...
Valletta differs from most European cities in its regular layout, straight and relatively wide streets. The area on which the city is built is mountainous and therefore there are a lot of stairs. The Palace of the Grand Masters of the Order stands in the central square of Valletta. Nowadays, it houses the central authorities of the island: the Maltese Parliament, the offices of the President and the Prime Minister. Which, by the way, does not bother the numerous dealers in counterfeit discs and cassettes, who have placed their trays right under the windows of the head of government.
And centuries ago, in the halls of the palace decorated with frescoes, the affairs of the Order and the lands subject to the knights were conducted. The head of the Order of Malta - the Grand Master - was elected among the knights for life. He ruled his state in one of the halls where the throne is still located. In total, the Order of Malta ruled Malta for 268 years. During this time, 27 Grand Masters have changed on the throne. Nowadays, restoration work is taking place in the throne room, which was later renamed the Hall of the Republic. The interiors of the palace are preserved exactly as they were in the 18th century. Portraits of the Grand Masters hang on the walls, their coats of arms are laid out on the floor. Knightly armor, although it has long served as an adornment of palace corridors, is by no means fake ... All of them have been in more than one battle. In the armory of the palace there are many shells with traces of stabbing and cutting blows, many of which must have been fatal. After the death of a knight, his property, including armor, as a rule, passed to the Order. After all, the Iannites usually did not have heirs - one of the vows that a knight gave when joining the Order of Malta was a vow of celibacy.
The knights who fell in battle and simply died peacefully were buried in the main order cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Among others, de la Valette rests here. The tombstone of the master is at the same time a monument to his victories over the Turks. True, at the foot of the sculptured heads are not defeated Turks, but an Algerian and a Zaporizhzhya Cossack ... The floor in the Cathedral of John the Baptist consists entirely of gravestones. Under each of them is the ashes of a Maltese knight. On the slab at the entrance there is a laconic inscription: "Today you walk on us, tomorrow they will walk on you." The Cathedral of John the Baptist is also a monument - a monument to the heyday of the Order of Malta. In the 17th century, the knightly fleet knew no equal in the Mediterranean, and money from maritime trade flowed into the order's treasury. Well-known masters invited from Italy worked on the decoration of the cathedral. In one of its limits hangs a large canvas by Caravaggio "The Beheading of John the Baptist." ""
The prosperity of the Order did not last long. In the middle of the 18th century, it began to decline. Nowadays, you can see the Knight of Malta only in souvenir shops. Mostly tourists buy them - the Maltese themselves do not need knights. They know the history of the Order rather superficially. By the way, few of them know that the Russian Emperor Paul I was once the Grand Master of the Order. Paul was elected Grand Master in the autumn of 1798 after Napoleon occupied the island without firing a shot and expelled all members of the Order from Malta, with the exception of decrepit old people. . But the hopes of the knights that Russia would help them return the island did not come true. In modern times, the Order of Malta has de facto become a Catholic charitable organization headquartered on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Membership in the Order is still considered honorary - but now, in order to become a knight, in principle, it is enough to have an amount of 10,000 Maltese liras for an annual fee - about $ 30,000.

February 23, 2016 02:08 PM Council Valletta - Malta January 2014

After an outpouring of general enthusiasm about Malta, beautiful at any time of the year, it is time to start a consistent story about the Dream of the Conquerors.

And although Malta is far from being exhausted by the concept of the "Order of Malta", it is still worth starting the story with it, because the Order is not accidentally associated by any layman with this particular island. Or rather, we will begin our acquaintance with the main cathedral of the Order.

The Hospitallers or Johnites, also known as the Jerusalem, Rhodes and Maltese Sovereign Military Hospitable Order of St. John, also as the Order of St. John, as the Knights of Malta or the Knights of Malta - founded in 1080 in Jerusalem as an Amalfi hospital, a Christian organization whose goal was caring for the poor, sick or injured pilgrims in the Holy Land. After the capture of Jerusalem by Christians in 1099 during the First Crusade, the organization turned into a religious-military order with its own charter. The order was entrusted with the mission of caring for and protecting the Holy Land.

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Initially, the organization took care of the pilgrims in Jerusalem, but soon the order began to provide the pilgrims with an armed escort, which quickly grew into a powerful Christian organization.

By the middle of the 12th century, the order was divided into brothers-warriors and brothers-healers who cared for the sick. He still remained a religious order and had a number of privileges: he did not obey anyone except the Pope, did not pay tithes and had the right to own his own spiritual buildings. Many significant Christian fortifications in the Holy Land were built by the Hospitallers.

The growing strength of Islam eventually forced the Hospitallers to leave Jerusalem. After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the Hospitallers were driven back to the county of Tripoli, then to Cyprus. The Grand Master of the order, Guillaume de Villaret, decided to establish a residence in Rhodes. On August 15, 1309, after more than two years of fighting, the island of Rhodes surrendered to the Hospitallers. In addition, the Hospitallers gained control over a number of neighboring islands, as well as over the ports of Asia Minor: Bodrum and Kastelorizo.

After the abolition of the Knights Templar in 1312, most of their possessions were transferred to the Hospitallers, so the Order became the most powerful and richest in the world.

The possessions of the Order were divided into eight langs (languages): Aragon, Auvergne, Castile, England, France, Germany and Provence. Each language was ruled by a prior. In Rhodes, and also in recent years in Malta, the knights of each language were led by bails. On Rhodes, the Hospitallers, then also called the Knights of Rhodes, became a more militarized force. In the 15th century they were ousted from Rhodes by the Muslims.

After seven years of wandering around Europe, the Hospitallers settled in Malta in 1530, after Emperor Charles V gave the Hospitallers Malta, Gozo and the North African port of Tripoli into permanent fiefdom. The annual payment for this service was to be one Maltese falcon, sent on All Saints' Day to the royal representative, the Viceroy of Sicily.

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So the Order ended up in Malta. And immediately began the construction of fortifications to protect the island.

Despite the fact that they had only a few ships at their disposal, the Hospitallers very quickly incurred the wrath of the Ottomans again by engaging in banal piracy.

In 1565, Suleiman I sent an army of forty thousand to besiege Malta and expel the knights from its territory. At first, the battle was as unsuccessful for the Hospitallers as on Rhodes: most of the cities were destroyed, about half of the knights were killed. The Turks launched a long siege. However, the Maltese persevered.

And in honor of the victory in the Great Siege, a new city was founded - Valetta, (named after the Grand Master who defended the island), and a cathedral. The building of the temple is located on the square of the same name in the center of the city of Valletta, the current capital of Malta. Many people call St. John's Cathedral a cathedral, but this is erroneous, since the main cathedral of Malta is the cathedral in the city of Mdina.

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The cathedral was built in the middle of the 16th century. The author of the project was the Maltese architect Girolamo Kassar, who was engaged in the construction of fortifications in Malta. The cathedral is also made in a militaristic style, somewhat reminiscent of a military fort. The opulent baroque interior contrasts with the laconic façade. It was designed by the Italian artist Mattia Preti.

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The intricate stone carvings, vaulted ceiling and side altars tell of the life of John the Baptist. The cathedral houses eight richly decorated chapels dedicated to the eight patron saints of the Order of the Knights of Malta and corresponding to the different regions of Europe associated with their activities.

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Each "language" received a chapel in the Cathedral of St. John, after which the coats of arms of the languages ​​\u200b\u200bdecorated the walls and ceiling of the cathedral.

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Provence: Archangel Michael, coat of arms of Jerusalem Auvergne: Saint Sebastian, Blue Dolphin France: conversion of Saint Paul, coat of arms of France Castile and León: Saint James the Lesser, two quarters coat of arms of Castile and two quarters of León Aragon: George the Victorious, a chapel dedicated to the Mother of God (Per pale Aragon and Navarre) Italy: Catherine of Bologna, curved blue inscription ITALIA England: Flagellation of Christ; Germany: Epiphany, Black double-headed eagle.

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One of the attractions of the cathedral is the painting by Caravaggio "The Beheading of John the Baptist" (1608). This painting is one of the author's masterpieces and his only signed work. Also noteworthy are the marble tombstones over the burial places of prominent knights in the cathedral, in total about 380 knights are buried here.

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The cathedral is quite close to neighboring buildings. Three clocks are installed on the outer walls at once, which show the current time, day and month, respectively. And also a clock with the wrong time to confuse the Evil One.

All the Grand Masters are buried in the cathedral, except for the last - the German Ferdinand von Gompesch, who surrendered Malta to the French and was not honored to be buried among the people who gave their lives to protect the island.

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And in the courtyard of the temple are the graves of the knights who died during the Great Siege. The Grand Master La Valette, who founded the capital of Malta, is also buried here. An epitaph is placed on his tombstone, which says that a man of honor rests here, who gave his life to protect Europe from barbarians and enemies of the holy faith.

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The Museum of St. John's Cathedral houses a large collection of tapestries made according to sketches by such famous artists as Poussin and Rubens. Each newly elected grand master and each knight who rose to the next hierarchical step were obliged to present gifts to the cathedral in honor of this significant date.

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And, judging by the fact that in the decoration of the walls, built of coral limestone and covered with rich carvings, there are many heraldic cotton flowers and crowns, the Grand Masters brothers Rafael and Nicola Cotonera distinguished themselves with particular generosity in decoration. But they are not alone. Grand Master Karafa presented the cathedral with a magnificent altar made of marble and bronze. Raymond de Perellos donated famous Dutch tapestries based on paintings by Rubens, Poussin and Mattio Preti.

By the way, the day of the beginning of the murals is known to historians for sure. On September 15, 1661, Mattio Preti proposed to the council of the order to decorate the vault of the Cathedral of St. John at their own expense. Considering that the maestro had painted a wonderful painting “St. George on a white horse”, as well as economic considerations, the council approved the project on the same day, and knighted the artist for his zeal. For exactly 38 years, Preti painted the cathedral with scenes from the life of John the Baptist and paintings illustrating the activities of the order. This titanic work was appreciated - the artist was buried in the temple, his grave is located to the left of the main entrance ...

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The only knight who has been honored to be buried in the crypt is Oliver Starkey, the secretary of the Grand Master of La Valletta. Having especially distinguished himself during the days of the Great Siege, Sir Starkey enjoyed such sincere and deep respect among his associates that the council of the order decided to bury the hero with special honors. In addition to Starkey, 12 grandmasters are buried in the crypt, including Adam de Lisle, La Valette, Alof de Wignacourt. In total, 26 of the 28 Grand Masters who ruled in Malta found their last refuge in the cathedral. Each lived a glorious life, each left it in his own way and at the appointed hour. For example, Master Pinto, who ruled for 32 years, died at 93, making love, which in itself already deserves respect, but does not fit well with the vow of celibacy ...

In 1607, the Grand Master of the Hospitallers was granted the title of Reichsfürst (Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, despite the fact that the territory of the order was always south of the territory of the Holy Roman Empire). In 1630, the Grand Master was awarded the clergy equivalent to a cardinal and the unique mixed title of His Most Illustrious Highness, reflecting both properties and thus recognizing him as a true Prince of the Church.

By taking control of the Mediterranean Sea, the order thereby assumed the duties traditionally performed by the maritime city-state of Venice. Agricultural difficulties caused by the barrenness of the island occupied by the order, forced many hospitalists to "neglect the sense of duty" and start plundering Muslim ships. More and more ships were plundered, the proceeds of which allowed many Hospitallers to lead an idle and rich life. Profits also allowed them to take local women as their wives, to be hired in the French and Spanish fleets in search of adventure and money.

As the fame and wealth of the Hospitallers grew, European states began to treat the order more respectfully, at the same time, showing less and less desire to finance an organization known for its ability to earn large sums on the high seas. Thus, the vicious circle increased the number of raids, and consequently reduced the subsidies received from European states. Soon, the island's balance of payments became completely dependent on conquest.

Meanwhile, the European states were completely not up to the Johnites. The Thirty Years' War forced them to concentrate all their forces on the continent.

The authorities of Malta quickly appreciated the importance of corsairry for the economy of the island and encouraged it in every possible way. Contrary to the oath of poverty, ordinary knights were allowed to keep part of the loot, which consisted of prize money and cargo seized on a captured ship. In addition, they were allowed to equip their own galleys with the proceeds.

To compete with the North African pirates, the island authorities also turned a blind eye to the slave market that existed in Valletta. A lot of controversy was caused by the insistence of the Hospitallers on observing the right of whist. The right of whist allowed the order to board any ship suspected of carrying Turkish goods, as well as confiscate its cargo with subsequent resale in Valletta. Often the ship's crew was its most valuable cargo. Naturally, many states declared themselves victims of the excessive desire of the Hospitallers to confiscate any cargo remotely related to the Turks.

In order to do something about the growing problem, the Maltese authorities created a court, the Consigilio del Mer (nautical council), in which captains who considered themselves wrongly injured could appeal their case, often successfully. The island authorities tried to call to account the unscrupulous Hospitallers in their choice of means in order to appease the European powers and the few benefactors. And yet, these actions did not bring much benefit.

Ultimately, the excessive softness of the Mediterranean powers led to the collapse of the Hospitallers during this period of their history. After transforming from a military outpost into another small trade-oriented state in Europe, the North Sea merchant states took over their role.

The Hospitallers stayed on the island for 268 years, turning what they called "solid sandstone rock" into a flourishing island with powerful defenses and the capital Valletta.