The Magistral Conservatory – which contains the Archives and the Library – was inaugurated on 7 December after an almost two-year renovation of its spaces, facilities and infrastructure. Located in the Magistral Palace in Via Condotti in Rome, the Conservatory has been dedicated to the memory of the 80th Grand Master, Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, who passed on 29 April 2020.

The Pope’s Special Delegate to the Order of Malta, Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, blessed the premises during a ceremony attended by the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Fra’ Marco Luzzago, members of the Sovereign Council, the Curator Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau, the Archives and Library staff.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled during the ceremony, in the presence of the late Grand Master’s family members, a tribute to a man who always had at heart the enrichment of the Order of Malta’s historical, bibliographic and archival heritage and constantly supported its efforts.

Begun in January 2020, the renovation has reorganized the spaces with the creation of rooms dedicated to the different collections. The aim is – also thanks to the computerization of the catalogue and creation of a site dedicated to researchers – to facilitate access by scholars and Order of Malta members to the books and documents of the Order of Malta’s history and culture.

The Magistral Archives contain the documents of various institutions of the Order, some of which date back to the first half of the sixteenth century. The Magistral Library, founded in the second half of the 19th century, serves as the Order of Malta’s central library and preserves one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of books and articles on the Order.

Also owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the date of reopening to the public of the Conservatory has not yet been established, but it continues to provide its services remotely