(Rivista Internazionale - December 1997: Aristocratic Monasticism and the Order of St. John, called of Malta - 2/5)

Left: Capitular Orders of the Holy Hierosolymite Religion. The book contains the authentic copy of the Capitular Orders in Italian, issued on 7 June Below, Grand Master Fra' Antonio de Paule. Right "Livre des Assises et des Bons Usages Duo Royaume de Jerusalem" De luxe manuscript with large and beautiful Gothic writing, with capital letters and margin decorations in blue, red and gold. Written in old French, this manuscript lists the correct civil and Penal uses of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, starting with those established by Goffredo di Buglione. The code was copied in Cyprus, a temporary seat of the Order of St. John, around the year 1368.

An old print showing Fra' Gherardo "Fundator et Erector Xenodochii Jerosolimitani.

Sovereign Order, military Order, naval Order in all its different occupations: first in Jerusalem, then in St. Jean d'Acre, Rhodes and finally Malta. In 1522, the Order, or convent as it was called, was forced to leave Rhodes when the Muslims surrounded the island. It withdrew to Europe and in 1530 obtained from Charles V the Maltese territory still today we tend not to call it the Order of St. John and if we do we are not always understood. We say Order of Malta. And this was due to its long presence on the island, from 1530 to 1798, over two and a half centuries. How is the Order organised? At the beginning, those brothers became warriors and then, after various decrees over nine centuries, quite a few changes took place with 45 generations succeeding each other for almost a thousand years.
One could never run out of things to say about the Order The history of the Italian Risorgimento has university chairs and specific courses in this country but, with all respect for Risorgimento events, even if we trace their origin back to the first liberal movements, or even to the French Revolution, and even if we arrive at the so-called liberation of Rome in 1870, we are looking at a scant seventy years. Instead, here we are in the presence of nine and a half centuries of history; hence there are not a few difficulties for those venturing to give a brief compendium of the Order and its history.
The Order took as its now universally recognised emblem the octagonal or Maltese cross - in heraldry, a cross formed with V-shaped indentures - to symbolise, it is said, the eight Beatitudes. What is the Order's present structure? The Order has three assemblies, three gatherings which govern its life. The Council Complete of State elects the Grand Master The Grand Master's office is for life. Then, every five years the Chapter General is convened, which has the task of electing the government which will rule the Order alongside the Grand Master Then there is the Sovereign Council, presided over by the Grand Master The Sovereign Council is renewed, at least in theory, every five years and is composed of four high offices, four councillors and two deputies.

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