In Rome, there is a palace which is the capital of the world’s smallest state.
In Rome, there is a palace which is the capital of the world’s smallest state. The medieval Church had many mansions. As well as orders devoted to prayer and contemplation, there were other bodies, for whom the way of the cross was also the way of the sword. In the 11th century, the Papacy established the Knights Hospitallers, or Knights of St John, whose headquarters were in Jerusalem. The Knights protected pilgrims and fought to preserve the crusaders’ conquests. But as the power of Islam grew, they were thrown on the defensive. Driven from Palestine, they made a stand in Rhodes, where their great castle still dominates. In 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent invaded Rhodes. After a siege, the Knights were forced to surrender, but on chivalrous terms. Suleiman lived up to his name.
The Knights then found their way to Malta, and another great siege in 1565. They were almost overwhelmed. Many perished. Their courage still inspires their descendants. In tribute to the siege, the Knights are now known as the Knights of Malta: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
As a result of this sovereignty, there are now two British Heads of State; the Queen, and His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master, Fra Matthew Festing. The son of a Field Marshal, Fra Matthew is the head of the Knights of Malta. His two residences in Rome are extraterritorial and the Order has diplomatic relations with 104 countries. I once asked Fra Matthew’s predecessor, Fra Andrew Bertie, a kinsman of Perry Worsthorne, whether there were precedence problems with the Papacy. ‘Potentially endless,’ he replied. ‘Neither I nor the Holy Father would care, but our protocol people would have nightmares, so I try to ensure that we are seldom in the same place at the same time.’
Sovereignty, protocol, military tradition, historic splendour: the Knights cherish them all, but today’s Order has returned to its roots. A medieval hospital, such as the one they ran in Jerusalem, was a guesthouse for travellers. But it would have tended the sick and the dying. Today, that is the Knights’ principal purpose. They are the largest source of non-governmental aid in the world. All Knights are expected to perform good works. By enforcing this requirement, Fra Andrew stirred up some discontent in Rome. One or two princely families, who regarded their membership of the Order as merely an hereditary honour, had neither paid a subscription nor undertaken any charitable works since the Risorgimento. Fra Andrew insisted on a firm purpose of amendment.
The British Knights organise pilgrimages to Lourdes. They tend to have lineages with many quarterings, often from the recusant families who kept the candle of English Catholicism alive at the risk of being hanged and quartered. Many pilgrims are frail, despairing and lonely, a long way removed from Debrett’s. There are those who disapprove of the Order’s grandeur. But there is nothing grand about the nursing tasks which the Knights (and Dames) undertake. Anyone who is prepared to nurse the incontinent dying is entitled to a bit of pomp on their return.
As well as some decent wine. The Order has several vineyards in Italy, mainly near Lake Trasimene and the Castello di Magione, a 12th-century fortress which is the Grand Master’s summer residence. During a prolonged tasting, I had only one disappointment: their Prosecco (mind you, it was no worse than the run of Proseccos). I would commend their Rosso dell’Umbria, a sound quaffing bottle, and their Morcinaia, more complex and more expensive. It is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, so some purists regard it as a French interloper. Would they decline a glass of Sassicaia? There is a delicious Vin Santo, Colli dei Trasimeno, and, from Friuli, an excellent Fruiliano plus a first-rate Pinot Grigio. The Knightly vineyards are almost incapable of producing a bad wine and the profits subsidise good causes. If that does not put you off, the UK stockists are Clarion Wines, who have a website.
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