Saint John's Cavalier

Saint John's Cavalier is a 16th century Cavalier which forms part of the city walls of Valletta, Malta. Originally nine Cavaliers were planned, but eventually only two were built, Saint John's and Saint James Cavalier. They were both designed by military engineer Francesco Laparelli da Cortona, who, on his departure from Malta in 1569, entrusted the continuation of his work to Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. The Cavalier is now Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Malta.

The building is located close to the City Gate Arcade and Hastings Gardens. It overlooks Saint John's Bastion.

History
Faced with the continuing threat of Turkish attack and the weaknesses caused by the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Knights of Malta had to decide whether to abandon the island, or attempt its restoration. Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette preferred to stay and ask for aid, which promptly arrived from several quarters, most notably Pope Pius V, who sent not only financial assistance but also the famed military engineer Francesco Laparelli de Cortona. It is Laparelli who masterminded the plan of Valletta as we see it today. On his departure in 1569 Laparelli entrusted the continuation of his work to Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar.

St. John's (as well as St. James) was among the first buildings to be built in the city, after the Church of Our Lady of Victories. It was built as a raised platform on which guns were placed to defend the city against attacks from the land side, in the area were the town of Floriana was later built. As well as prohibiting entry, St. John's could also threaten those who had already breached the city's defences.

Despite the impression of size given by the external aspect of the building, half of the structure was filled with compressed earth and the rest consisted of series of sparse chambers and a ramp by which cannons could reach the roof.

Architecturally it was not designed to rival the more sophisticated Auberges but as a utilitarian, no-nonsense solution to a straightforward defensive problem.

The Cavalier was used by British forces during the Second World War.

Present day
In 1967, the Government of Malta leased the former Cavalier for 99 years to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the direct successor of the Order of Saint John who built it in the first place. It serves as the SMOM's embassy in Malta, with its official name being Embassy of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta to the Republic of Malta. The first Ambassador, Dino Marrajeni, restored the building along with the engineer Roger de Giorgio, an expert on restoration of historical buildings. Within two years restoration was complete, and while modern additions were added, care was taken to preserve all the original features of the building. An unobtrusive penthouse was built on the Cavalier's roof as the residence of the Head of the Mission, and from it one can see an excellent view of the city below as well as the surrounding towns and villages.