Idée #776 – Strolling through the city of the Grand Masters of the Order in Valletta
Valletta (in Maltese: Valletta, called Il-Belt, “the city”), located on the northeast coast of the island of Malta, is the capital of the Republic of Malta. The site was fortified when the Order of Saint John settled in Malta in 1530. In 1565, the square was besieged by the Ottoman army, which failed after three months of intense fighting. . In response to this event, the Christian courts of Europe mobilized funds to allow an increase in the defenses of Malta, which then served as a base for the pacification of the Mediterranean and as a bulwark against the Turks, after the loss of Rhodes.
The new city of Valletta, referred to in the texts as the Humilissima Civitas Vallettae (“Most Humble City of Valletta”) was officially founded in 1566, named after the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order of St. Jerusalem then, Jean de Valette. It was established near Fort Saint-Elme and Castell’amare de Birgu, whose defenses it reinforced. It is one of the only European cities of the Renaissance to have been built according to a Hippodamian plan.
The city has many buildings dating from the 16th to the 18th century, corresponding to the domination of the Order over the archipelago, from 1530 to 1798. Nearly 320 monuments over an area of 55 hectares have been listed by UNESCO, constituting one of the largest concentrations in the world, earning the city to be included on the list of world heritage of humanity since 1980.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
La Valette, Malta