The dodici maestri periti of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena (1722–36)

Abstract

‘L-Imgħallem tat-Tnax’ – confusedly associated with the name “perit” nowadays – was in contemporary times, as Guzè Gatt wrote in 1972, a much unheard-of nomenclature. “Tat-Tnax” (‘of the twelve’ as literally translated from Maltese) is linked to the code of laws emanated in 1724 by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena (1722–36). The practice of peritiagrimensori, in eighteenth-century Malta, was defined through a set of written laws as elsewhere in Europe, such as in Italy and Spain. The Order of St John sought to ensure that practitioners functioned in a proficient manner, for which purpose the state sought tighter controls through licences, examinations and by limiting the number of maestri periti. By these regulations the Order attempted more favourable social interactions and refined architectural values. The formulation of this stricter legislative framework emphasised the important approach the Order assigned to planning, property management and construction aspects. The context to this more attentive approach was the extensive undertaking by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena of a building programme that was to define Malta’s Baroque development.