Sovereign Military Order of Malta

     The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is also known as Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta), Order of Malta, or Knights of Malta.  The Order dates back to around 1048, sought to care for the health of pilgrims from any religious background, and still exists today internationally with headquarters located in Rome.  In fact,  the Order celebrated the 900th anniversary of the Papal bull of sovereignty February 15th, 2013.  
     "The Order of St. John of Jerusalem – the monastic community which ran the hospital – became independent under the guidance of its founder, Blessed Gérard. Pope Paschal II approved the foundation of the Hospital with the Bull of 15th February 1113, and placed it under the aegis of the Church, granting it the right to freely elect its superiors without interference from other lay or religious authorities. By virtue of the Papal Bull, the Hospital became a lay-religious order. All the knights were religious, bound by the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience."   
     "After having temporarily resided in Messina, Catania and Ferrara, in 1834 the Order settled definitively in Rome, where it owns, with extraterritorial status, the Magistral Palace and the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill" (http://www.orderofmalta.int/).  This means that similar to the sovereign Vatican City, the Order of Malta has laws and decrees valid internationally and separate from those of Italy.  The Order was sovereign from 1530-1798 in Malta, but was ejected by Napoleon Bonaparte.  However, in 1998 the Maltese Government made a 99 year agreement with the Order.  This agreement grants permission for the Order of Malta to own property in Malta and utilize Fort St. Angelo in the town of Birgu.  Although the Order of Malta once again has property in Malta, its headquarters are still located in Rome. 
     The Order has two headquarters in Rome.  The headquarters located in Palazzo Malta hosts meetings of Governmental Bodies and is where the Grand Master lives.  The Grand Master is the head of the Order and remains in this position until death.  Fra' Matthew Festing is the 79th Grand Master of the Order and has been since March 11, 2008.  Membership to the Order of Malta is possible only through invitation and until 1990, one had to be of noble lineage to gain membership.  Today the Order contains over 13,000 members, known as knights and dames.  About 80,000 of these members are considered permanent volunteers, while about 20,000 are individuals in the medical field.
     I visited the other headquarters, located on Aventine Hill, which hosts the Grand Priory of Rome.  This location has a special tourist attraction, the "Secret Saint Peter's View".  The gateway to the gardens of the Order is closed off, but tourists are invited to look through the keyhole and see a perfect view of Saint Peter's Dome (which is at least 3 miles away).  Giovanni Battista Piranesi designed this Piazza in 1765.  There is some very interesting symbolism throughout the Piazza.  I also visited the churches on the property, which are included in this post.  

Eight-pointed Maltese Cross.

Crescent Moon.

This is the pathway visible through the keyhole in the door.

Through this keyhole, you can see Saint Peter's Basilica, where the Pope gives his weekly address.

La Chiesa Di S. Anselmo All'Aventino, this church is right next to the headquarters of Malta.

This is another church next to the headquarters of Malta.

This and the next few imaged are from a park next to the headquarters.

Santa Giovanna D'Arco (Joan of Arc).

Here is a zoomed view of Saint Peter's Basilica from the park.

Basilica Di S. Sabina, the last religious building in the area that I visited.

Both of these symbols were also above the door of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. 

Sun Symbol?

Very old and enormous wooden doors.