The Palace Armoury

The Palace Armoury in the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta, is one of the world’s greatest arms collections housed in their original buildings, and ranks among the most valuable legacies of European history.

The Order of the Knights of St John, eventually to be known as the Knights of Malta, were a unique brotherhood of warrior monks.  From Malta, their island stronghold, these combatant aristocrats from the noblest houses of Europe, carried out their relentless crusade against the Ottoman Turks. 

Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt transferred the Order’s arsenal to the Palace in 1604.  It was the pride of the Order and held enough arms to equip thousands of soldiers.  Although only a fraction of its original splendour, the Armoury still contains abundant material of Italian, German, French and Spanish origin, splendid parade armour by master armourers,  exotic examples of Turkish armour, arms of the common soldiers and the enriched personal armours of the nobility. For more information please contact info@xarapalace.com.mt