Knights of Malta

The Maltese Cross (Cross of the Knights of Malta, Eight-Pointed Cross)

The Maltese Cross, also known as the Eight-Pointed Cross, or the Cross of the Knights of Malta, owes its origins to the Maritime Republic of Amalfi in Italy. Amalfi was the birthplace of some pious merchants who founded the first hospice (hospital) of the Order of St. John in Jerusalem, in 1048. The Eight-Pointed Cross [...]

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St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta

St. John’s Co-Cathedral stands in St. John Square, one of the rare open spaces in Valletta. The square is dominated by the austerely impressive façade of the Co-Cathedral. The severe exterior of the Cathedral, built immediately after the ending of the Great Siege of 1565, is reminiscent of a military fort. This was the Order’s [...]

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