Travel: Postcard from Malta | Live news

Before Malta was known, it was called Christendom.

Located 100 miles from Italy’s Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, the island-republic has been at the crossroads of civilization and conquest for thousands of years. Of all that history, the history and heritage of Christianity stands out the most.

When the people of Malta returned to Rome to be judged in 60 AD, other than the apostle St. Paul was shipwrecked.

As soon as Paul reached the shore, he did what he did best: spread the faith. Its inhabitants are said to have been converted to Christianity by the Roman emperor (and later saint) Publius, making Malta one of the oldest Christian countries in the world.

As some say, this is not without an asterisk. That controversy aside, generations combined with some concrete evidence seem to support the Maltese claim, including four Roman-era anchors found at the biblical site of Paul’s shipwreck.

Although the Pauline tradition was deeply rooted as Roman Catholicism was the state religion, it was the later chapters of history that put Malta on the map. Exactly right.

The Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta was granted by Emperor Charles V in 1530 to the islands of Muslim, Norman, and Spanish rule. They turned the Maltese Islands into a monastic state, or as we call it today, a theocratic monarchy.

Better known as the Knights Hospitaller, the order was derived from nobility and gentry throughout Europe, including the British Isles before the Reformation. He chose a Prince-Abbey Master who ruled over temporal and spiritual powers.

Christian control of Malta was tested in 1565 when a few thousand armed men successfully defended their possessions during a Muslim invasion of the Ottoman Empire that lasted more than three months. Had they not succeeded, the history of Europe – given Malta’s proximity to the continent, particularly the Italian peninsula – might have been different.

In the year By 1798, however, the once-powerful aristocracy had waned, and Napoleon was able to easily control it during his campaign in Egypt.

Within two years, the British liberated Malta from French rule. Like many other British colonies in the two decades after World War II, they would remain until Malta gained its independence.

The tradition of the knights is preserved today by the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Based in Rome, it issues its own passport within the Roman Catholic hierarchy and has the same internationally recognized status as a micro-state. Now based in Rome, the embassy in the old walls surrounding Valletta, Malta’s baroque capital, is a reminder of the past.

If you go

Many of the baroque buildings in the capital are from the time immediately after the siege in 1565. Baroque also dominates the cityscape of the Three Cities, a small town across Valletta’s Grand Harbour, the former capital of Medina and the old citadel of Gozo, an island that looks like a red-headed stepchild in comparison. To the main island of the country and the name.

In Valletta, must-visits include the monastery church-turned-St. John’s Co-Cathedral, a masterpiece best seen during a special afternoon visit, and the National Museum of Archaeology. Be sure to visit the Inquisitor’s Palace in Berg (one of the three cities), St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Medina, and the nearby Catacombs of St. Paul in Rabat.

There are no flights between the United States and Canada, so getting to Malta requires one or two connections. This required me to fly to London Heathrow Airport and catch a connecting flight with the flag carrier, Air Malta.

Flying the flag carrier is a great way to get to know a country. While my business class ticket was reasonably priced and the overall service excellent, it was unclear whether Air Malta was Malta’s ambassador or a low-cost carrier competing with European low-cost airlines Frontier and Spirit. .

I was at the Rosselli AX Privilege, housed in a period building in the heart of Valletta. If I had to do it again, I would book a room at the Phoenician as the place is quieter at night. Another option is Casa Rocca Piccola, a 16th-century palace of a Maltese aristocratic family, with five rooms for rent as a bed and breakfast.

Getting around Malta is easy and doesn’t require a rental car. Everything in Valletta is within walking distance. Anything beyond the capital is easily accessible by ferry, taxi or Uber ride. A good hotel can arrange a private driver for the day.

Dennis Lennox a Travel column For the Christian Paste it.

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