Learning has always been at the heart of our Order, and with a history that stretches back over 1000 years the written records are innumerable. In that time many writers and historians have sought to capture the ethos and achievements of the Knights Hospitallers. Many of these irreplaceable records were once held in the Great Library of the Order in Malta. When the island fell to Napoleon he took these precious archives and many were lost during the Battle of the Nile.
Others have been retrieved and are held across Europe in libraries and universities. As part of the work of the Priory of Research we have sought to compile a definitive collection of books, records and artefacts pertaining to the Order. From these ancient records we have taken the information used on the site, and as part of a wider Crusade to raise arwareness and dispel myths and misinformation about the Knights of St John we now make much of this information available to the public for the first time.
The library will build a collection of books on the history and workings of the Order, explaining its origins and the meaning behind many of its rituals and practices.
It will also build up a reference collection on a range of topics which are of interest to the modern knights of malta. From faith based books to legal texts on Human Rights. However the foundation book of our Priory Library is the Bible. That Holy Writ we hold to be the very Word of God. It is the beginning of knowledge and the basis for the rights and liberties which we now refer to as Human Rights. We recall the words spoken during the Royal Coronation Service where the newly Crowned monarch is presented with a copy of the Bible.
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