Three buildings that remember the legacy of the Order of the Knights of Saint John in Malta

Valletta, capital of Malta, is the most conspicuous legacy of the old Order of Saint John (Order of Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of Jerusalem or simply Order of Malta). Its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, is an architectural jewel built on a geographical wonder, the rocky Sciberras peninsula, wedged longitudinally between two narrow bays – Marsamxett and Grand Harbour, in turn plagued by minor isthmuses – like the foot of a mussel between its shells. Taking advantage of such exceptional strategic qualities, the Knights of Malta founded Valletta in 1566 as a fortress city, the southernmost in Christendom at that time, building formidable walls and bastions that were almost impregnable. Sir Walter Scott, one of its illustrious visitors, noted that it was a metropolis built by gentlemen for gentlemen. So much so that the monumentality, at times tiring, is still its characteristic hallmark today. These three architectural jewels attest to the legacy of the Order of the Knights of Saint John: the Holy Infirmary, the Palace of the Grand Master and the Albergue de Castilla.