The oldest record of a property of the Order of
St. John in Slovenia dates to 1217; it was a commandry in Melje (near Maribor).
In the Slovenian territories, the next eight centuries saw the development of
commandries and estates of the knights of St. John, who in the meantime moved
from Jerusalem to Rhodes and later to Malta, only to settle in Rome by the end
of the 19th century. Today we know them as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes
and of Malta or the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for short.
The fourth oldest religious order in the West
and the oldest Crusader order, as well as the only remaining sovereign order of
chivalry rose from a brotherhood, which offered hospital care to pilgrims and
the poor and the sick, later also military protection. A mighty military force
was transformed into a modern efficient humanitarian organization with more
than 13,000 members, 20,000 medical workers, and 80,000 volunteers, who work
through a network of hospitals, clinics, rescue missions, and diplomatic
presence in more than 100 countries. The mission remains as set down by the
founder of the Order, Blessed Gerard: "Our brotherhood will be everlasting, because the ground which this plant is
rooted in, is the misery of the world - and because, God willing, there will
always be people, who want to work towards the alleviation of these sufferings
to make this misery more bearable."
The Knight Hospitallers, also known as the
Johanniter and the Knights of Malta, brought more than just the distinct
eight-pointed white cross to the Slovenian territories. Under the white Maltese
cross, Crux Alba, connections were
woven and strengthened between the Order - the owner and manager of commandries
- and local societies. Numerous knights of the Order took part in the defence
against Turks and were active in the Church hierarchy. One of them was Joseph
Rabatta, an aristocrat from Friuli-Gorizia, who fought the Ottomans as a knight
of the Order of Malta, later took sacred vows and completed his mission as Bishop
of Ljubljana.
The exhibition features more than two hundred
artefacts from private collections, extraordinary pieces of art and historical
rarity, never put on public display before. Uniforms and insignia of the Order,
decorations and liturgical vestments in addition to modern equipment of
auxiliary units invite to a unique meeting with this ancient fellow of European
societies.
The
exhibition is a project by
the Slovenian Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The
exhibition made possible by
Narodna galerija
Author
of the exhibition
Christoph Steidl Porenta
Co-authors
Tadej Jakopič, Roman Vučajnk
Coordination
Christoph Steidl Porenta, Mateja Krapež
Arrangement
Christoph Steidl Porenta, Tadej Jakopič, Roman Vučajnk
Logo
of the exhibition
Shadow Pre-Press
Artefacts
on loan from
private collectors, National Archives in Prague, Grand Priory of Austria SMOM,
Archdiocese of Ljubljana, Maribor Regional Museum
Chief
Patron of the exhibition
Grawe
2 June – 3 September 2017
National Gallery of Slovenia, Narodni dom Gallery
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana