EASTER WITH THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN
Destiny arrived at Grand Harbor Marina in Malta on Maundy Thursday. We needed a spring “shake down” cruise and heading south 50 NM from Destiny’s winter home in Marina di Ragusa, Sicily to spend Easter weekend in Malta seemed perfect.
Malta and neighboring Gozo are steeped in history being situated at the cross roads of Europe and the African continent, but are best known for the several hundred years that the Knights of St. John occupied the islands.

Destiny is berthed at the end of Dock C which leads directly to the Maritime Museum at Grand Harbor Marina, Malta. . .
In 1565 the Knights of St. John and Maltese residents, vastly outnumbered by the forces of Suleiman the Great defeated the Turks and their planned take over of the islands. The Great Siege as it is known was a turning point in the island’s history and resulted in even more fortifications being built by the Knights.
Most of the Maltese population is Catholic and Easter is a particular cause for solemnity and joyous celebration on the island.
On Good Friday, it is tradition for the parish churches to stage elaborate processions that include life size statues depicting the Passion Play being carried through the streets. On the waterfront of Grand Harbor in front of the marina is the Church of St. Lawrence (or San Lawrenz, as it is known to the Maltese).
After a several hour service commemorating the crucifixion and death of Christ, the parishioners take to the streets at 6 p.m. carrying massive wooden structures on their shoulders that portray Christ’s life in the final days of his life.
Even with up to eight barrel-chested men carrying each structure, there are frequent rests stops.
There were a hundred or more people who participated in the procession, including small children.
The Good Friday procession ends with Christ on the cross, and the expressions of the faces of everyone in the procession is mournful and sad.

As the sun sets. . .comes the most solemn part of the procession. . .as Christ on the cross is carried through the streets
We were told that the roles played in this annual Passion Play are passed down from generation to generation within each parish. The amazing thing is that nearly every parish on the island will stage the similar procession. In Malta Good Friday is a national holiday.
On Easter Sunday we attended St. Paul’s Pro Cathedral in Valletta, built between 1839 and 1844 within the fortifications of Valletta. St. Paul’s is one of only two Anglican Churches on the island of Malta, and most of its parishioners are expats from the United Kingdom & Ireland. The Cathedral’s spire, which is quite distinctive on the skyline of Valletta escaped serious damage in the heavy bombardment during the Second World War when Malta was an Allied base.
The interior simplicity of the Cathedral is in striking contrast to the opulence of the various Catholic parish churches we saw in Malta, not to mention St. John’s Co-Cathedral.
We stopped at St. John’s during the Easter service there and were overwhelmed by the ornate decoration of the building and the profusion of white flowers.
After the church services we had Easter lunch at a restaurant on a large square just in front of the Grand Master’s Palace.
After our scrumptious Easter lunch, we toured The Grand Master’s Palace, built in the late 16th Century after the Great Siege when Valletta was founded.
The palace was occupied by the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John until 1798 when Napoleon invaded the island. The Knights all but vanished after that, but the Palace State Rooms and Armory are open to the public and provide a glimpse back in time.
Being in Malta on Easter weekend and observing the intersection between the island’s religious and military history was particularly interesting. The religious traditions date back hundreds of years to the Knights of St. John, but are very much a part of Malta’s modern identity.
But there is more to Malta. . .next post.
Sounds great, and wonderful pictures! Hope we can also participate once in the years to come! It’s experiences like this that make sailing in the Med so highly enjoyable for us.
Looking forward to your next blog.
Love
Renata