ABSTRACT
The first group of brethren who formed the Order of St John was born and bred in the electrifying atmosphere of religious fervour encapsulated in the Christian Crusades. They forged themselves into a close-knit brotherhood, submitted themselves to a specific rule and promised to remain loyal to their calling and oath. In so doing, the first knights became part of a total institution. The total institution, as a hierarchical organisation, therefore had absolute control over its members. The brothers virtually became a defined class: men controlled by the institution, relatively 'cut off from the wider society' to 'lead an 'enclosed' formally administered life together'. After 36 years of hesitation, through Grand Master Pietro del Monte, the Order now made a public statement: it had finally decided to settle in Malta; to communicate this fact Jean de Valette's successor simply moved into the half-completed new city, designed by Francesco Laparelli on Mount Sciberras.
