Next we headed a few streets away to the The Grand Master's Palace and Armoury. Built in 1574, this beautifully relaxing building was originally the seat of the GrandMaster of the Knights of Malta. Later it housed the Maltese Parliament and today it houses the offices of the President of Malta. The former two storey Palaces' many large and elegantly decorated rooms surround an internal courtyard area with graceful gardens, palm trees and a bronze statue. Sunlight and cool breezes from the courtyard filtered through the windows of the hallway-corridor and added light and coolness to the building. We admired the frescoes and portrait paintings on the walls and have included a photo of a fresco depicting Malta's harbour and the portico parapet we had walked along earlier today after taking the lift up from the waterfront. It shows the type of sailing boats and strong stone buildings of the 1570's, many still standing today.
We had tickets to visit the Palace Armoury Museum.
It was Malta's first museum and opened in a section of the palace in 1860. Then in 1975 the entire collection of armour and weapons was moved to its present home, the original stone stable section of this former palace. It has the largest collection of rare swords, helmets and spears from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
The collection includes not only the armoury of the common soldiers but it also includes a range of practical and elaborately decorated armour suits, worn by the Knights of St John after celebration brave victories. This extensive collection is displayed in chronological order and traces some of the development, changes and adaptations made to the helmets, armour and weapons over several hundreds of years.
Some of the weapons displayed included: a of richly decorated firearms, cross-bows, sabres, lancers, swords, pistols, spears, swords and exhibits of canons of varying sizes together with a range of either stone-hewn or lead canon balls. We read that many of the weapons are still in working order and that the Knights arsenal held enough arms to equip several thousands of soldiers.
The Palace Armoury Museum display is historically associated with the history of Malta and its Order of Knights who so gallently defended Malta against so many invaders. In 1798 Napolean seized Malta from the Knights, on his way to Egypt. However, after two years of French occupation, the Maltese asked Britain for assistance and Britain responded by blockading the islands. Cut off from supplies, the French finally withdrew. Malta joined the British Empire in 1800 and remained a member until 1964 when Malta became independent and over that period the Maltese adopted the British systems of education, legislation and administration. Modern Malta became a republic in 1974, closed all foreign military bases in 1979 and joined the European Union in 2008.
Just outside the Palace Armoury display rooms stands an impressive 200 year old carriage which was used by the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John. It has been well preserved, having been stored in the stone Palace Stable block and it would have made a grand sight and much noise as it passed over the Malta's cobbled pathways so long ago. The carriage was fashioned in timber with glass carriage windows and seating for six people within and a dual driver seat at the helm of the carriage. The huge wooden spoked-wheels carefully crafted by a master carpenter has a metal strip around each wheels rim to strengthen the wheel and prevent damage from sharp stones, ditches and rough terrain.
Malta is not a rich nation but it is rich in culture and history.
You may think that this blog is long and you'd be right, because Malta is SO FULL of history, around every corner, under every pebble and even under the beautiful tourquoise blue of the harbour waters, evidence of past tales await.
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