Rituals and politics in the seventeenth-century Mediterranean : the Hospitaller Island Order State of Malta c.1611-c.1715

Abstract

What if the Pope were to visit the island order state of the Hospitallers in Malta? In November 1660, plans were drawn up for such an eventuality. The Grand Master and his State Council would sail out of the harbour to meet the Papal fleet. Ideally, they would board and be accompanied by the galleys of the Order, but should this not be possible, the magistral gondola would be used instead, along with frigates and boats, all bedecked to the highest standards for such an occasion. The artillery and muskets would be used to salute the Grand Master and the Pope at set points: first, when they arrived within cannon -shot of Valletta, secondly when the Grand Master boarded the papal vessel and thirdly when the Pope disembarked. The bastions and the walls will be crowned by infantry carrying muskets: The Pope will disembarked using a sumptuously decorated bridge and three triumphal arches will be set up, one at the Porta della Marina, the other at the Conventual Church of St John and the third at the Magistral Palace. 2 The whole occasion, with its multitude of sights and sounds and thick clouds generated by all the cannons being fired, would turn the harbour into one open stage where participants and spectators would enjoy a stunning spectacle.