Aspects of Hospitaller baroque culture in seventeenth century Malta

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the everyday life and culture of the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in seventeenth century Malta, using visitors travel accounts of the Islands during this period as sources. The visits described in the travelogues were taken during different times during the seventeenth century, and give an idea of the pace of changes on the Maltese islands. They are also written by men from various walks of life, who's station is reflected in the type of information they give and the number of things they were able to see during their stay on Malta. Most of the travelogues concur on various details, or make observations on the architecture and art of the Hospitallers, that are readily verifiable. Other observations are corroborated by the research of other scholars from different sources, and this information has been used in the dissertation to supplement that given by the visitor's accounts. This dissertation attempts to venture more deeply into the culture of the Hospitallers, by analyzing their values as revealed through their use of objects, their customs, and their rituals. Previous scholars have neglected this approach, preferring to deal mainly with the impressions that individual travelers had of Malta, the Maltese, and the Knights. Their conclusions have been useful on assessing the sources and as a background to the travelers themselves. However, they stop short of an understanding of Hospitaller Malta, tending to remain on the surface of things rather than dealing with the values of the Knights. This is the primary purpose of this dissertation: to analyze more deeply the culture of the Hospitallers, especially in terms of a new concept by means of which historians have sought to define the dominant European culture of the period, Baroque. To this end the dissertation is divided into four chapters. The introduction deals with the traveler's accounts as sources, and explores the concept of Baroque culture. In Chapter one various aspects of the institutional culture of the Hospitallers are dealt with, including the manifestations of hierarchy, precedence and militarism as revealed in processions, seating, dress, architecture, art and military activities. Chapter two focuses more on the daily lives of the individual Knights. It highlights various aspects of aristocratic culture that the Knights adopted during their stay on Malta. The conclusion addresses the traveler's perceptions of the Knights and the Order, and discusses the concept of Baroque, that will be referred to throughout the dissertation, as applied to Hospitaller culture.