The Island of Malta and the Order of St John - Grigory Krayevski

Introduction and editing

JOSEPH SCHIRÃ’ Translation

ELENA YASNETSKAYA SULTANA

The book, in two parts, was written by Grigory Krayevsky (1747-1802, St Petersburg) and published in St Petersburg, by the Imperial Academy of Sciences, in the year 1800. It is an account of Krayevsky’s trip to Malta in 1785 as a translator “in the non-hazardous expedition” of Count Paul Martinovitch Skavronsky (1757-1793), who was then the Russian Ambassador to Naples. The first part describes in detail the history of the island of Malta, its main attractions, and the life and traditions of the locals. The second part deals with the history of the Order of Malta since 1530.

When in 1799 the Russian Emperor Paul I become the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St John, Krayevsky seized the opportunity to publish his travel log and account of Malta and presented the Emperor with the hand-written version of the book. The Emperor found the contents of the book very interesting and sponsored its publication and distribution.

The book contains an absolutely unique map, that has an importance of its own because it is the only known Russian printed map of the Maltese Islands of that era. Besides, it is a very rare map because the book in which it appeared is extremely difficult to find. It is also one of the few travel accounts written by a non-European.

The book was translated from Russian by Elena Yasnetskaya Sultana, a Russian scientist residing in Malta and the introduction and editing of the book was done by Joseph Schirò.

A short description of the ISLAND OF MALTA and of THE ORDER OF ST JOHN

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A short description of the ISLAND OF MALTA and of THE ORDER OF ST JOHN written by Grigory Krayevsky in two parts

Introduction and editing Joseph Schirò Translation of the original from Russian Elena Yasnetskaya Sultana

in collaboration with

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National Book Council's Malta Book Fund 2017 Colophon at the end of the volume

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 PART I Description of the island of Malta 1 Geographical position of the island of Malta 2 The name of the island of Malta 3 Ancient history of Malta 4 Maltese antiquities 5 Soil and the product of the Maltese islands 6 The island of Gozo 7 Fortifications of the island of Malta: the cities, the harbours and other remarkable places 8 Portrayal of the city of Valletta 9 Medina city or Civita Vecchia 10 Manners and customs of the Maltese people 11 Language of the Maltese people

19 19 19 20 24 25 29 31 34 55 62 73

PART II Brief information about Order of St John of Jerusalem 81 1. The beginning and the origins of the Order of St John 81 2 Rules of the Order of St John as they were written 92 by the Grand Master Raymond du Puy in Jerusalem 3 General regulations of the Order 96 v

4 Eight Langues and Nations of the Order of St John, their position among each other, and the grades and honours given to them: 98 1 Of the Langue of Provence 98 2 Of the Langue of Auvergne 98 3 Of the Langue of France 99 4 Of the Langue of Italy 99 5 Of the Langue of Aragon 99 6 Of the Langue of England 100 7 Of the Langue of Germany 100 8 Of the Langue of Castile 100 5 About classes of the Order 101 6 The coinage 102 7 The Grand Master’s entourage 102 8 The Grand Master’s election ritual 103 9 The Grand Master’s titles and the revenues from Malta 106 10 A brief excerpt from the former ritual of admission to the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem 108 List of Grand Masters 110 Bibliography 113 Index 119

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig. 1 Shchukin, Stepan (?). Paul I Wearing the Crown of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta......................................... 3 Fig. 2 Count Paul Martinovich Skavronsky............................. 5 Fig. 3 Countess Ekaterina Vasilievna Skavronskaya............... 5 Fig. 4 Portrait of Count Giulio Renato de Litta with a dedication to his wife the Countess Litta neé Engelhardt..... 6 Fig. 5 Literary Feasting in the bookstore of Alexander Smirdin, 1832........................................................................................... 7 Fig. 6 Anonymous. Portrait of Alexander Philippovich Smirdin..................................................................................... 8 Fig. 7 The Russian rouble of the period (1796)........................ 8 Fig. 8 Printed note before removal............................................ 10 Fig. 9 The original ex libris of Smirdin and the printed note with the prices for borrowing rights.................................... 10 Fig. 10 Ex libris on the National Library of Malta copy.......... 10 Fig. 11 Maÿr’s map of the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino printed in black and red ink................................... 11 Fig. 12. Facsimile of the title page of the book written by Grigory Krayevsky................................................................. 16 Fig. 13 Camocio, Giovanni Francesco. c.1556.

DE MELITA INSVLA............................................................... 22 Fig. 14 The oldest known separate map of Gozo. Disegnio del Isola del Gozo....................................................................... 28 Fig. 15 St Erasmus of Formiae or St Elmo................................. 30 Fig. 16 A unique map of Valletta by Evangelista Azzi vii

showing the harbour fortifications....................................... 31

Fig. 17 Étienne Charpentier. Les Villes Forts et Châteaux de Malte Capitale de l’Isle.......................................................... 33 Fig. 18 The bronze cannon named Der Helffant....................... 34 Fig. 19 Venerable icon of Our Lady of Philermos.................... 35 Fig. 20 The Entrance to The Hospital at Valetta............................ 39 Fig. 21 V. Feneck. Chevalier Officier de la Garde d’honnier du Grand-Maitre............................................................................ 42 Fig. 22 Map of Senglea showing ‘waralizola’ executed by the Maltese cartographer Antonio Borg.............................. 47 Fig. 23 Henry Tresham. Malta: Indians from the coast of Malabar brought over by Admiral Suffrén................................ 48 Fig. 24 Henry Tresham. A group of men, women and children sitting and standing outside a building near the sea................. 49 Fig. 25 The church in St Paul’s Bay which houses the three paintings attributed to Giulio Cassarino................... 52 Fig. 26 Manuscript drawing showing the plan for the final phase of the Vyborg battle on June 22, 1790 during the Swedish-Russian war................................................................ 59 Fig. 27 Maltese woman wearing a white linen barnuco in summer................................................................................ 63 Fig. 28 Saverio Satariano. Coccagna............................................ 64 Fig. 29 Facsimile of Maÿr’s map of Malta printed on thick green paper and hand-coloured........................................... 78 Fig. 30 Map of Acre from Baudoin’s Histoire des Chevaliers de l’Ordre de S. Iean de Hierusalem.......................................... 86 Fig. 31 Title page of the Statvta Hospitalis Hiervsalem, 1588.... 95

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Joseph Abela Mgr. John Azzopardi Stefano Bifolco Anna Borg Cardona Louis Borg ManchÊ Pedja Buric Mark Camilleri Maroma Camilleri Martina Caruana Robert Cassar Daniel Cilia John Cremona Vicki Anne Cremona Fra’ John Critien Abigail Cornick Kim Dalli Denis Darmanin Jeremy Debono Stephen Degiorgio Albert Ganado Oliver Gatt Tony Gatt Andrej Kusakin Liam Gauci Rod Lyon Emmanuel Magro Conti Fr John Matusiak Papas George Mifsud Montanaro Joanna Pace Pavle Pejovic ix

Stephen Petroni Marianne Schirò Bernadine Scicluna Stephen Spiteri Rosette Spiteri Cachia John Stroud Raymond Sultana Robert Thake Olaph Terribile George Vella Olvin Vella Theresa Vella Jedert Vodopivec Tine Vodopivec William Zammit Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta Heritage Malta, Malta National Library, Malta Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro, Slovenia St Petersberg Library, St Petersberg Vernadsky National Library, Kiev

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INTRODUCTION

The first person in Malta to discover the existence of this Russian book which deals about Malta, was Dr Albert Ganado, an internationally-recognised expert on the history of cartography, when by chance he came across this title while searching for other items at the National Library of Malta. An extremely rare book,1 it is the dream of every collector to own a copy and the situation presented itself thanks to my friendship with Elena Yasnetskaya Sultana, the translator of this book, who kindly intervened, to write on my behalf to several Russian antiquarian booksellers in Russia. The volume was acquired in 2015 from the antiquarian booksellers ‘ExLibris Zats ES’ in Moscow and now forms part of my collection. When Elena agreed to translate this book into English, she knew that her task was arduous as it was written in old Russian and there were some passages which were quite complicated and sometimes hardly understandable. She eventually discovered that by sometimes using a Bulgarian dictionary, some phrases written in the old Russian language were very similar to modern Bulgarian.

As the translation progressed, it became evident that the account had several interesting descriptions which had not been dealt by many other travellers who had visited Malta over the centuries.

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Only four copies are known to exist. Two copies are found in Malta, one at the National Library in Valletta and the other in the Joseph Schirò Collection. The two other copies are found in libraries in Russia.

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The Book The full title of the book is A short topographical, historical, and political description of the island of Malta and of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem written by Grigory Krayevsky in two parts in St Petersburg, by the Imperial Academy of Sciences , in the year 1800.

The book was written by Grigory Krajevsky at the end of his trip to Malta in 1785 as a translator in the expedition of Count Paul Martinovich Skavronsky (1757-1793). In the first part of his work, the author describes in detail the history of the island, its main attractions, and the life and traditions of the locals. The second part deals with the history of the Order of Malta since 1530.

It is dedicated to Emperor Paul I, under whose auspices the Order continued to exist from 1798, after the expulsion of Knights of St John from the island of Malta by Napoleon Bonaparte when he was en route to Egypt. The Grand Master at that time was Ferdinand von Hompesch (1797-1798) and he had been warned that Napoleon had intended to attack and occupy Malta while sailing to Egypt. The French forces disembarked in Malta on the 10 June and Hompesch, who did not want to fight fellow Christians, capitulated on the 11 June.

The news of Malta’s surrender to Napoleon was met with great dismay and protestations by the members of the Russian priory and other knights of the Order who were gathered in the Maltese Palace in St Petersburg. They immediately issued a special manifesto forcing Grand Master Hompesch to resign.

Later, on 27 October 1798, they gathered again and proclaimed Paul as the new Grand Master of the Order. Paul I thus became the 72nd Grand Master of the Order, and St Petersburg its provisional headquarters.2 The manuscript of the book was presented to Paul I, and through his goodwill, the Emperor gave permission to have it printed at the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

The book was published in 1800, in time to celebrate Paul I’s assumption of the role of Grand Master of the Order of St 2

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Pyotr Stegny (2002). ‘Russia and Malta: from Boris Sheremetev to Emperor Paul I’, Journey through the centuries. Historical discoveries in Russo-Maltese relations, Elizaveta Zolina (ed.), Malta, 73.

Fig. 1 Shchukin, Stepan (?). 1762-1828. Paul I Wearing the Crown of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta. Watercolour and gouache on ivory (154 x 120mm). Š The State Heritage Museum Russian Art and Culture.

John. The publisher was advised to print the book and give it to the author so that he could sell it himself. However after it was printed, it went on sale without the consent of the author and without him being paid any royalties. A restriction order to cease the sale of the book was issued, the copies and the money were

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INDEX

Abbé Vertot, 15 Abela, Giovanni Francesco, 14 Abela, Joseph, 54 Abū Alī ManŞūr, 81 Acre, 86, 87 Africa, 19, 24 Ahmed Pasha, 90 Algeria, 19 All Saints Day, 91 Aniseed, 26 Appian of Alexandria, 23 Aqueduct, Wignacourt’s, 44 Aquilina, George Fr, 40 Arabia Felix, 19, 20 Auberges, 43, 96 Authors’ royalties, 3, 6 Azzi Evangelista, 31 Bagno, see Slaves prison Barnuco, the, 63, 70 Baudoin, Jean, 86 Bayly, C. A., 53 Bethlehem Church, Palestine, 81 Bomensora, Almoynostansaba, 82 Bonello, Giovanni, 42, 43, 53, 67, 72 Borg Muscat, David, 68 Borg, Antonio, 47, 52 Borsa, Duke of Calabria, 84 Bosio, Giacomo, 82 Breithaupt, Johann Friedrich, 14, 43, 47, 58 Caesar, 23, 56 Calabria, 26, 29 Calabria, Duke of, 24, 84 Callus, Philip, 46 Camilleri, Maroma, 13, 71, 72 Camocio, Giovanni Francesco, 21-22 Canaanite, 21, 76 Candia (Crete), 90 Cappelli, A., 71 Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da, 38

Carminata, Giovanni Battista, 40 Carnival festivities, 71-73 Carnival musicians chariot, 71 Carthaginians, 21, 74 Cassar, Paul, 40, 67 Cassar, Robert, 36 Cassarino, Giulio, 52, 57 Catherine the Great, 37, 67 Cavaliers, 35 Chaldean, 76 Charles III of Savoy, 90 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 55, 91 Charpentier, Étienne, 33 Chetvert, 25 Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 81, 82 Cicero, 23, 25 Citta Vecchia see Mdina Cluverius, Philippus, 20 Coccagna 64-65, 71-73 Coenobium see Auberge Colombaia, 72 Comes, Alexandrinus, see Conti Natale Comino Bay, 13 Fort, 13 Santa Marija Bay, 13 Conti, Natale, 15, 51 Corsica, 66 Corso, the, 66-68 Cossacks of Little Russia, 89 Constantinople, 68 Cotton manufacture, 21, 26, 70 cotton cloth, 21 cotton yarn, 26 Cottonera, 13, 32 Cremona, Vicki Ann, 71 Cyprus, 87, 101 D’Aleccio Matteo Perez, 41

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D’Amaral Andrew, 90 De Bussan, Fra Paul Alpheran, 62 De Nicolai, Nicolò, 63 De Palmeus, A., 11-13 De Piro, Nicolas, 53, 62, 71 De Toledo, Don Garcia Viceroy, 50 Della Corgna, Ascanio, 50 Denaro, Victor, 40 Der Helffant, 34, 35-36 Diet of Malta, 97 Diodorus Siculus, 20 Doge of Venice, 107 Dragut Reis, 29, 51 Dziewulski, Michal, 36 Emperor Arcadius, 23 Charles V, 24, 55, 91,100, 106 Diocletian, 32 Ferdinand II Honorius, 23 Maximian Hercules, 32 Euro Marina, 24 Farming in Malta, 25-26 Farrugia Randon, Stanley, 57 Feneck, Vincenzo, 42 First Crusade, 81 Fort Ricasoli, 13, 32, 54 St Angelo, 45, 50, 52, 54 St Elmo, 31, 45, 46, 50, 54 Freller, Thomas, 43, 57, 58, 60, 71, Fuller, Thomas, 87 Gader, 25 Galley Capitana, 54 Gran Galeone Sant’Anna, 54 Magistrale, 54 San Luigi, 54 Vittoria, 54 Ganado, Albert, 1, 6, 11, 13, 21, 31, 32, 43, 47, 52 Gaspare, Ruperto a S., 56 Gastaldi, Giacomo, 31 Gatchina, Russia, 38 Genoa, Italy, 90 Gerard de Thom, 83 Gerlatzen, Theodoricus, 15 Glossopetrae, 60 Goddess Juno, 23, 24, 25

120

Gossipio, see cotton manufacture Gozo, 11, 12, 13, 29 Capo Dan Dimitri, 33 Castle, 13 Chambray, city, 13 description of, 29 Fliegi channel, 13 Marsalforn, 33 Mgiarr ix-Xini, 33 Ogygia, 20 Qala, 33 Xlendi, 33 Graevius, J. G. , 15 Gran Capitano, Gozo, 29 Grand Master Aubusson, Pierre de, 85,89 Ermengard, Asp de, 86 Homedes, de, 51 Hompesch, Fredinand von, 2 Lascaris, Jean-Baptiste, 32 L’Isle Adam Villiers Philip de, 90 Pinto, Fonseca de, 69, 72 Puy, Raymond de, 85, 92 Redin, de, 32 Rohan, Emmanuel de, 44, 68, 72 Valette, Jean de, 45, 50 Verdale, Hughes Loubenx de, 40, 98 Vilareta, Jean, 87 Vilhena, de 62 Villiers, Jean de, 87 Wignacourt, Alof de, 36, 41, 44, 56-57, 107 Ximenes, Francisco, 46 Grand Master’s election ritual, 103-106 entourage, 102-103 revenues, 106-108 titles, 106-108 zoo, 28 Grande Soccorso, 50 Greek Church, 39 Grigoryevich Orlov, Count Grigory, 38 Guelma, see Fort St Elmo Gustav III of Sweden, 67 Hecatombs, 24 Holy Sepulchre, 81, 82, 83 Hookham Frere, John, 72 Hughes, Sir Edward, 52

Hyblaean Mountains, Italy, 27 Hyrkanus, Johannes, 84 Imperial Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, 2, 14 Imperial Public Library, Moscow, 11, 14 Indian cotton workers from Malabar, 48, 49, 52-54 Ivan Petrovich Glazunov booksellers, Moscow, 4 Jerusalem, 81 John, Patriarch of Alexandria, 84 Julius Caesar, 23 Katzen, see Cavaliers King Agrippa, 56 King Battus, 21 King Henry of Cyprus, 87 King William, of England, 84 Kingdom of Naples, 82 Kipchak, Governor of Damascus, 87 Knights Templars, 87 Krakow, National Museum, 36 Kusakin, Andrej, 11 Lampedusa, 19 Landgrave Hessen, Prince Ludwig, 35-36 Laparelli, Francesco, 34 Life Guards Horse Regiment, St Petersburg, 11 Limassol, Cyprus, 87 Lingue di S. Paolo, 60 Litta, Count Giulio Renato de, 4, 6 Lord’s prayer in Maltese, 76-77 Lorenzi, Guglielmo, 67 Maius, Johannes Enricus, 15 Maltese falcon, 28, 91 honey, 19-20, 27 language, 73-77 Oranges, 26-27 women, description of, 70-71 manners and customs, 62-73 Maltese Palace, St Petersburg, 2 Mannarino, Don Gaetano, 46 Marsa, 54 Marsamuscetto, 33, 34 Marsascirocco, 33, 34 Marseilles, 90 Marshalek von Ebeneth, Johann

Hieronymous, 14 Massinissa, African king, 25 Mdina (Medina), 13, 24, 29, 31 description of, 55-56 St Paul’s Cathedral, 56-57 seminary, 62 Mecca, 73 Megiser, Hieronymus, 15, 71, 92, Milevitan Council, 23, 24 Milevis, Africa, 24 Metzger, Johann Balthasar, 20 Mizzi, Joe, Fr., 98 Mohammed II Sultan of Turkey, 89 Mohyla Theological Academy, Kiev, 9 Monomachus, Constantine, 82 Monte Cassino, Italy, 82 Mount Zion Church, 81 Mrs Markham, see Penrose, Elizabeth Muscat, Joseph, 52, 54 Museum of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell, 64, 65, 72 Mustafa Baxá of Rhodes, 69 Napoleon Bonaparte, 2 Nasalli Rocca, E., 15 National Library, Malta, 1, 9, 10, 11, 33, 52, 95 orange water, 27 Order of St John coinage, 102 Langues Aragon, 99-100 Auvergne, 98 Castile, 100 England, 100 France, 99 Germany, 100 Italy, 99 Provence, 98 origins, 81-93 ranks Admiral Bailiff, 88, 98, 99, 100 Chancellor, 100 Chaplain, 101, 104 Commander Conservator Hospitalier Donat, 42, 102 Knight

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Pilier, 88, 89, 94, 98, 99 Marshal, 88, 98 Serjeant-at-arms, 104 Turcopilier, 100 ritual of admission rules re, Capitulum, 92 Vexilla, 96 Vestem, 93 Pullam, 93 Toga, 93 Fagum, 93 Capitul, 96 Jus transitus, 96 Parastasis pecunia, 96 Diversorio, 96 Absolute, 97 Quinto, 97 Pena della quarantena, 97 Our Lady of Philermos, 35, 37 Pardo, Pedro, 51 Paul I, 2, 3, 11, 18, 38, 92, 108 Pelagius, 23 Penrose, Elizabeth, 39, 70 Phalaris, 21 Philip I, King of Spain, 84 Philip II, King of Spain, 50 Polzova, E. M., 11 Pope Clement V, 88 Clement VII, 91 Gelasius, 83 Honorius, 83 Paschal II, 83 Paul III, 97 Porcius Festus, 56 Prussian fortress, Kolberg, 9 Ptolemais see Acre Ptolemy, Claudius, 19, 24 Publius, Governor of Malta, 56 Pygmalion, 21 Qormi, Malta, 13 Queen Anna, 21 Queen Elissa, 76 Quintinus, Johannes, 14, 21, 24 Rhodes, 87 Islands near Rhodes Episcopio, 87 Iolli, 87

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Nicoria, 87 Limonia, 87 Sirana, 87 Rinaldi, Antonio, 38 Roderick, Cavaliero, 53 Roger the Norman, 24 Rothenburger, Friedrich, 36 Rothenburger, Michael Jacob, 36 Rumyantsev Zadunaisky, Pyotr Alexandrovich, 9 Ruprecht Duke of Normandy, 84 Russian grenadiers, 44 Russian State Library, Moscow, 9 Saint-Tropez, Bailiff Suffren, 52 Sala Reis, 29 Saracen millet, 26 Sardinia, 66 Satariano, Saverio, 71- 72, 64-65 Scalpello, Alfred, 43, 58 Sceberras promontory, 31, 34 Schirò, Joseph, 1, 13, 21, 31, 32, 39, 86 Schlegelholt, Heinrich, 100 Schott, Andreas, 14 Sciberras, Keith, 43 Sabbineso, Genevoli, 36 Selim, 90 Senglea, 32, 47, 52-53 Għolja ta’ l’Imtieħen, 32 Molendini, 32 Waralizola, 47, 52 Shrine of Hercules, 24 Sicily, 14, 24, 26, 29, 34, 36, 66, 68, 99 Capo Passero, 19 Pachyno, 19 Siege of Malta, 1565, 15, 41, 45, 46, 51, 91, 92 Sinan Pasha, 29 Skavronskaya, Countess Ekaterina Vasilievna, 4, 5 Skavronsky, Count Paul Martinovich, 2, 4, 5, 11 Slaves in Malta, 40, 68, 69-70 Slaves prison, 68 Smirdin, Alexander Philippovich, 4, 6-10 Soler, William, 34 Spada, Leonello, 43, 57 St Agnes, 82 St Augustine, 74, 83

St Erasmus, 30, 32 St Gerard, the Blessed, 38, 83, 84, 85 St Luke the Evangelist, 37 St Magdalene monastery, 82 St Paul apostle, 59-62 bay (Cala di San Paolo), 56 blessings, 60 catacombs, 61 Għajn Rażul, 56 grotto, 29, 60 San Pawl tal-Ħġejjeġ church, 57-58 statue, 59 St Petersburg meridian, 12 St Zachary, 83 Stone, David, 43 Suleiman II, 46 Swedish-Russian conflict, 59, 67 Swiss Guards, 44 Syracuse, 91 Syria, 19, 20, 76, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87 Tasso, Torquato, 81 Temple of Juno, 24, 25 Terra Sigillata Melitensis, 29 Thake, Robert, 15, 51 Thalassometer, 55 Thevet, André, 58 Titus Vespasianus, 84 Tobacco smoking, 53 Towers St Agatha, 13 St Lucian, 13 St Mark, 13 St Thomas, 13 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, 10 Trebizond, 89 Tresham, Henry, 48, 49, 53 Tripoli, 29, 91 Tullus Hostilius, 21 Tunis, 19, Turkish razzia, 1551, 29, 33 Turkish razzia, 1614, 32 Tutona the Great of Spain, 84 Universitas Gaudisii, 29 Uprising of priests, 1775, 46 V. I. Klochkov booksellers, St Petersburg, 10 Valletta description of, 34-55

Fountains, 41, 45 Grand Master’s Palace Armoury, 41 Council chamber, 41 Treasury, 107 Church of St John description of, 36-39 Oratory, 38 Church of St Paul description of, 39 Holy Infirmary, 40 St Elmo description of, 46 St Elmo lighthouse, 50 St Ursula cloistered monastery, 39-40 Vella, Horatio C. R., 21, 24 Vella, Theresa, 72 Venice, Italy, 88, 90, 99, 107 Vernadsky National Library, Kiev, 9 Verres, 23, 25 Vigée Le Brun, 4, 5 Vittoriosa, 32, 50, 51, 52, 54 Maritime Museum, 54 Victory Monument, 51 Volkovskoe Orthodox Cemetery, Moscow, 6 Von Maÿr, Johann Christoph 12, 14, 78-79 Von Maÿr, Johann Georg, 14 Von Maÿr, Johann Michael, 14 Von Streitberg, Georg Friedrich, 14 Von Streitberg, George Wilhem, 14 Wettinger, Godfrey, 24 Winter Palace Cathedral, St Petersberg, 37 Xerri, Dun Mikiel, 67 Zammit Gabaretta, A. Can., 98 Zammit, William, 72 Zaporozhye, Ukraine, 89 Zats ES booksellers, Moscow, 1 Zauli Sajani, Ifigenia, 44 Ziletti, Jordan, 15 Zoeber, H., 15 Zolina, Elizaveta, 2, 13, 38, 67, 114,

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JOSEPH SCHIRÒ is the head emeritus of the Conservation Division within Heritage Malta.

He co-edited the first festchrift in Malta, Liber Amicorum Dr. Albert Ganado in 1994, and also Malta 1796-1797 Thorvaldsen’s Visit in 1997.

He co-authored Andersen and Malta in 1991, Fine Bookbindings in 1999, German Malta Maps in 2011, The Brocktorff Mapmakers in 2012 and The Pre-Siege Maps of Malta – second century AD - 1564 in 2016. He has also written several articles on paper conservation and lectured extensively on the subject of conservation.

Participates in design bookbinding exhibitions abroad, and has several fine bindings in private collections in the U.S.A., U.K., Italy, Germany and Malta. He is currently President of ICOM Malta and Honorary Secretary of the Malta Map Society and editor of the Malta Map Society Journal. He is also on the editorial board of the European Research Centre in Horn, Austria. In May 2000, he received the award of Cavaliere Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito Melitense from the Grand Magistry of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Rome.

ELENA YASNETSKAYA SULTANA obtained her Ph D from the Russian Academy of Science in Vladivostok (Russia). In Malta, she worked as a laboratory scientist on the DNA extraction from various biological samples, medical and forensic DNA testing, microbiological testing of various samples, bacterial culture and identification at the MLS BioDNA Ltd (a biotech company) Kordin Business Incubation Centre, at Kordin. She is currently an Executive Science & Technology Officer at the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MSCT), at Bighi, responsible for coordinating and managing research and innovation initiatives related to EU research funds, monitoring projects and programme compliance to the National Research & Innovation Strategy 2020.