ARCHITECTURE AND CIRCULATION OF TREATISES IN THE LANGUE OF ITALY(ORDER OF ST JOHN OF JERUSALEM) DURING THE 16TH-17th CENTURIES

This paper explores the circulation of books among the knights of the Order of St John with the aim of investigating and defining the cultural, and architectural interests that contributed to the exchange of ideas and the migration of styles between the Langue of Italy and the capital of the Order of Malta, Valletta, in the 16th century. The investigation is conducted through the analysis of dispropriamenti, which are documents produced to attest the properties of the knights during their service and upon their death. The Hospitallers came from the elite of the European aristocracy, and their social background provided them with a scholarly education and allowed them to have interests in multiple disciplines, from painting to architectural treatises. Their mandatory stay as religious members in Malta for at least five years and their career within the Order facilitated intense cultural exchanges and the migration of architectural models.