Symbolism in the baroque age : the meaning of symbols at the Conventual Church of the Knights of Malta

Abstract

The objective of the research of this thesis is to study why and how, the Hospitaller Order of the knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta embellished their Conventual Church with symbols. The study will consist of research on the major subjects of the forms used and how they developed in keeping with the occurrence of symbolism in the Baroque age. The research will also study the meaning of the symbols. The purpose of the Order’s rich symbolic embellishment at St John’s Conventual Church, as an expression of the values of the Baroque age, is a subject that has not been explored. Thus, the character of the symbolic meaning within the interior of the church deserves to be studied. My research is therefore intended to offer a contribution to this particular, and as yet, unexplored area of Baroque studies. The Hospitaller Order of the knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta in Valletta built their Conventual Church, dedicated to their patron saint, John the Baptist, between 1572 and 1577. The underlying research theme focuses on the cumulative expression of Baroque symbolism that evolved between 1602 to 1703, in an architectural setting that served as the epicentre of the Order. During this period, there were eighteen Grand Masters that contributed to visualise of the Order’s ideologies. The ideologies of the Order were transmitted by using and creating symbols made from the richest of materials, of impressively high artistic value. Starting from the 1565 post-Great Siege reconstruction of the Order’s princedom, the appearance of Malta changed dramatically. The fear of the Ottomans’ return was a realistic motivation to build a city with fortifications that would withstand another siege. The Order’s acceptance that Malta was inescapably their permanent home, was a perfect reason to construct a new fortified city with churches, auberges and palaces. The new city named Valletta, after the Grand Master who led the knights through the ordeal of the Great Siege, was built on the peninsula, known as mount Sceberras, which had excellent harbours on both sides. A new Conventual Church was also necessary dedicated to their patron saint together with a burial place for the Order’s members within the walls of the new city. The military architect Francesco Laparelli da Cortona was the planner of the city whilst Geronimo Cassar, a Maltese capomastro working for the Order trained by Laparelli was given the task to build the church. He created a large and functional building as the Order’s Conventual Church. Its plain façade gave the building a sober military appearance. The church’s plan consists of a wide main nave with two side aisles. The main nave measures 57 metres in length and 36 metres in width and has its apse positioned to the East. The simple rectangular plan had previously been used in Malta for other churches, but its extensive barrel-vaulted roof was a novelty on the island. The main nave is flanked by side aisles the thick walls bear the weight of the barrel-vaulted roof. Side chapels line the aisle that serve to buttress the trust of the roof. Initially, the interior was relatively bare and void of embellishment. The embellishment of the interior of the church that was carried out between the years 1602 and 1703, places it chronologically with the Baroque age with the expressive and ostentatious manner of embellishment that evolved throughout several cities of Catholic Europe. Throughout that century, the Catholic Church went through a turbulent phase and its existence was challenged on all fronts, by the Protestant-Reformation from the north and the Ottoman Empire from the south of Europe. The Catholic Church defended its position by orchestrating the staged triumphal expression of the reformed Tridentine church to combat its opponents. The form of expression that took place was predominately made from enduring materials, using several forms and employing the visual arts as a means of propaganda to promote the reformed church. The forms used were made from precious materials in the most exuberant formats for the exultation of the Faith. As a result, the Conventual Church became a glowing symbol of the chivalrous character of the Order and their devotion to the Catholic Church which they served. Visual representation gained momentum over the years, that led to the use of a profusion of symbols expressed in almost all the visual arts. Such display was manifested in the Conventual Church from wall carvings, funerary tombs to tapestries and many others. The result was the development of a powerful and vibrant visual language. This powerful display of symbols served precisely to fulfil the aims of the absolutist political philosophy that the Order harboured and also to underline the Baroque princely image the Grand Masters wanted to portray. Since the beginning of its foundation in the eleventh century the Order of the knights of St John operated throughout Europe and by the sixteenth century had accumulated considerable repute. There are other major factors in the long history of the Order of St John, that was one of the first of the chivalric Orders to mark a new trend. In the crusading age there were at least three religious Orders operating in the Holy Land. Previously, anyone who wanted to dedicate his life to religion, settled for a life within a convent or monastery. Later on, the Order extended their financial interests to estate management with several priories across Europe and engaged in both naval and military expeditions. This extraordinary combination provided the Order with the flexibility to continue its existence and adapt where necessary to new circumstances. By the sixteenth century they had already left a distinct mark on the history of Europe and the Mediterranean. On a smaller, but significant scale, they left an enormous legacy of the Order’s representation during their sojourn in Malta from 1530, that lasted two hundred and sixty-eight years. The knights left an indelible imprint of their ideals and beliefs, that is a great insight into the collective and individual minds of the knights. Memory of the illustrious past of the Order was necessary for its identity to last for posterity. The knights saw themselves as the warriors of the Catholic Church, that was their ‘raison d’être.’, their reason for being, which they worked hard to have their important place pronounced to all Christendom. The Conventual Church was their sanctuary and the ideal place for the physical expression of religious ardour and military valour that formed their legacy. Motivated by the concern to leave a lasting record of their legacy in an enduring form, visual means of symbolism was naturally an eloquent medium to choose. With the use of symbols and by embellishing the Church in line with the expressive nature of the symbolism of the Baroque age they could immortalise the collective ideology of the Order.