Malta Manuscripts

HMML’s Malta Study Center has microfilmed and digitized archives, manuscripts, rare printed works, and art related to the history of Malta and the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (also known as the Order of Malta) for more than 70 institutions in Malta, the United States, Italy, Great Britain, and Canada. The collection includes over 16,000 reels of microfilm and 2.5 million digital images from partner archives and libraries, including:

The Center has also worked closely with local partners to digitize the private and confraternal archives in Malta, such as:

The microfilm and digital collections provide researchers with a rare opportunity to explore the institutional history of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, the history of Malta, and the complex social and legal history of the Mediterranean. The collection uniquely stands out for its early modern music, art, and cartographic collections, which include the works by Francesco Azopardi, Nicolò Isouard, Mattia Pretti, and Antoine Favray.

Highlights

Archives of the Order of Malta at the National Library of Malta
Archives of the Inquisition in Malta at the Cathedral Archives in Mdina
Epoca Gallica and Magna Curia Castellaniae Acta Originalia fonds at the National Archives of Malta
The Catholic University of America’s Malta Collection donated by Foster Stearns and Carol Saliba
Private family archive of the Archivum de Piro in Valletta
6,000 music manuscripts from Malta dating from the 16th to the 20th century
1,200 works of art and early printed maps from the Albert Ganado Map Collection at the Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti

Manuscripts Repositories Museum

Countries

Malta, the United States, Italy, Great Britain, and Canada (Malta manuscripts are also found in the Western European collections)
Date Range

11th–20th centuries
Languages

Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, English, Maltese, Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Syriac, and Armenian
Director

Dr. Daniel K. Gullo, Joseph S. Micallef Director of the Malta Study Center