The holy infirmary of the Order of St. John

Abstract

When the Knights came to Malta on the 26th October, 1530 and settled at Borgo, they erected there in 1531 a very large hospital with a small church adjoining dedicated to St. Anne. When they crossed over to the new City of Valletta in 1571 they also constructed between 1574 and 1575, during the rule of the French Grand Master Fra Jean Levesque de la Cassiere (1572- 1581), a very fine hospital "The Holy Infirmary", which was enlarged and improved by the Spanish Grand Master Fra Raphael Cotoner (1660-1663). On completion the "Sacra Infermeria" was one of the earliest organized hospitals in the world. Patients took their meals from silver dishes, drank from silver bowls and ate with silver spoons, forks and knives. The food of all the patients was better and more carefully cooked than that of the Knights who served them.