The Order of St John and Female Monasteries in Malta
Schedule
Wed Mar 18 2026 at 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Knisja tal-Gizwiti, Triq il-Merkanti, Valletta, Malta | Valletta, MA
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(This public lecture is being held on a Wednesday)From its early years, the Order of St John has included women within its branches. While separate from the military role of the hospitaller knights and relatively limited in number, the female religious houses associated with the Order formed a valued part of its mission. They existed across different regions of Europe, including in Spain, France and Italy in a variety of
forms.
The Order established two religious houses for women in Malta in the late 1500s – St Mary Magdalene’s monastery which was suppressed by the French government in 1798, and St Ursula’s monastery which continues to function in Valletta today. This lecture will explore the diverse roles of these two monasteries in early modern Malta, within the broader context of female religious houses of the Order of St John.
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Prof. Petra Caruana Dingli is Associate Professor at the Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation at the University of Malta. She also lectures within the Faculty of Arts. She is chairperson of the Mdina Cathedral Archives and Council member of the heritage NGO Din l-Art Helwa and editor of its magazine Vigilo. She holds a doctorate in the field of literature from the University of Oxford.
Speaker:
Prof. Petra Caruana Dingli
University of Malta
Entrance is free but donations are welcome.
Access is from Archbishop Street
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Where is it happening?
Knisja tal-Gizwiti, Triq il-Merkanti, Valletta, MaltaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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