1530 - 1798 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. You'll sense their presence by wondering through their palaces, courtyards and gardens. Across the 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 none 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. To learn more about this period, historical sites and museums use our interactive map. The Knights History Brief Key Dates the Knights The Great Siege Valletta The Three Cities Mdina Artists to the Knights Architecture Churches & Festas Fortifications
1530 - 1798 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. You'll sense their presence by wondering through their palaces, courtyards and gardens. Across the 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 none 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.
To learn more about this period, historical sites and museums use our interactive map.