Worth every penny, cent. As usual the building was most impressive but this time it's contents were equally so. A decent museum must have a decent story to tell. It must have enough to fascinate and enough to take you further on in what you know. A really good one will encourage you to find out more. Malta's story is epic as is the place in which it is housed.
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| Within the walls |
Having read much about Malta over the past six months or so it was a revelation, first just how small of stature these 15th century people were. It struck me seeing Nelson's dress coat at Greenwich but when you see armour that a ten year old would struggle to get into it brings you up short(!)
For me the most impressive place in all this area is The Chapel, turn left upon entry and watch everyone else go straight on. Probably something to do with W.C. signs directly ahead.
This chapel is nine by twelve of my strolling paces. It is not well lit, it is proportionally high and, apart from the altar it is very plain.
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| The Chapel |
It was to this very room on the evening of 22nd of June 1565 that the remaining 14 knights went to pray and rededicate themselves to their Order's vows. Many wounded were kept here at that time. During the evening those able to hold a sword were placed where they could be said to have died with sword in hand.
At dawn Mustafa Pasha began his final assault. It took four hours at the end of which the last knights stood in defence of the altar in this room and were slaughtered. They were decapitated, their torsos bound to crosses and floated across to De La Vallette in Fort St.Angelo at Birgu.
It was this act that led to Vallette famously executing his Turkish prisoners and firing the heads into St.Elmo using his canon.
The stand at Fort St.Elmo cost the Ottoman Turks dear, at least a quarter of their troops perished as did Dragut, the brains of the outfit. They had assured Sulieman that the fort would fall in three days. It took nigh on six weeks. Mustafa said afterwards that "if this is what taking the son has cost how much more will taking the parent be" speaking of Fort St.Angelo and De La Vallette.
Fortunately it took more than he had because he was beaten. Seeing the massiveness of it all and considering these men in armour fighting in the heat of summer one is in awe. The decisiveness of the battles fought here are historically immense.
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| For more Faith you need wider than 40mm |
A short walk from this chapel and you come across another little Faith. This one, the last of the three Gloster Sea Gladiators, Faith, Hope and Charity which when the Italians began the air assault of Malta in 1940 were all the aircraft that the island had to defend them and for ten days they flew non stop in the island's defence.
It is a great museum. It is a great story.
Note. If you go make sure that you see the presentation in area 7.
We nearly missed it. Wandering about in the dark underground canyons we were just about to leave wondering what on earth area 7 was all about when a man with a key told us to stay for the presentation which was about to start. He showed us where to go.
The people ahead of us missed it and the people who came in at the end stayed in the last of the rooms waiting for it to restart. Wrong! It starts where you don't expect it and gives you instructions as to when and where to go. You follow these instructions to the next underground room just in time for the presentation in that area. It's a brilliantly creative application of audio and video projection.
PPS. The washing machine wasn't repaired on Monday. The men came at 0900 and deemed it uneconomic to repair. Felix said he'd ask the owner for a new one.
We wait in hope rather than expectation.
The leak in the bathroom is doing well, though. Pretty consistent, evenly spread.
Just in case you were wondering.
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