BBC’s Ross Kenneth Urken recently had the pleasure of meeting Fra John Critien, the only remaining knight on the archipelago who has taken the Order’s full vows, during a visit to Malta to learn "how to behave in a manner befitting of the storied Knights of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta" (or the Knights of St John, to you and me). 

Urken recounts meeting with Fra Critien at the prestigious Fort St Angelo, across the Grand Harbour, where he has been the sole inhabitant of the fort’s secluded upper part since 1998 (jealous, us?). The Order of Malta is a Roman Catholic chivalry society that received the Maltese Islands after Charles I of Spain released the Maltese Archipelago in 1530, in exchange for the promise of one Maltese falcon a year - a pretty decent bargain, we’d say! Grand Master Jean de la Valette, along with his knights, began building a “city built by gentlemen for gentlemen” upon their arrival: the now-capital city of Valletta.

Today, Fra Critien is the last true knight on Malta, having taken the Order’s vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Fort St Angelo, Fra Critien’s current residence, was once used as the Order’s headquarters during the Great Siege of 1565 against the Ottoman Empire, and more recently, as part of the 2018 European Capital of Culture events, a limited amount of people also had the chance to tour Fra Critien’s secluded area within the bastions.

The Order’s official motto, he reveals, is tuition fidei et obsequium pauperum, meaning ‘defence of the faith and assistance to the poor.’ “In the past, the defence of the faith was riding horses and fighting enemies. Now we can defend the faith by being an example to those around us,” says Fra Critien. He goes on to explain that nowadays, the Order has about 100 knights and dames (female members) in Malta, and some 13,500 worldwide. However, many find it difficult to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience that Fra Critien has – hence his status as the last ‘full’ knight on Malta, and one of about 55 in the Order worldwide.

During his stay on the islands, Urken also met with Marquis Nicholas de Piro, the same Marquis who greeted Meghan Markle back in 2015 - yes, from that ghonella picture. The Marquis is also a member of the Order, and comes from one of Malta’s most famous aristocratic families, living in the prestigious Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta, where he resides with his wife.

“Everybody thinks being a knight is just being posh, or being smart, or being grand,” Urken quotes the Marquis, before going on to explain that that real impact of the Order of Malta is in charity work. Indeed, Urken also pays homage to the grand Sacra Infermeria - Valletta's famed 16^th century naval hospital. Hospitals (and by extension, hospitality) are an integral part of the Order’s duties, treating everyone from beggar to noble. The same brave blood of the knights flows through the Maltese, so really, it's no surprise we're known for our hospitality.