“Here lies La Valette.

Worthy of eternal honour,

He who was once the scourge of Africa and Asia,

And the shield of Europe,

Whence he expelled the barbarians by his Holy Arms,

Is the first to be buried in this beloved city,

Whose founder he was.”

The above quotes (from Wikipedia) are the English translation of the inscription on the tomb of Jean Parisot de La Valette. He’s buried inside St. John’s Co-Cathedral within the walls of Valletta, the city named after him!

August this year marks the 451^st death anniversary of de La Valette as he expired on this day (21^st August) in 1568. He was the 49^th Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 1557 till his death. He joined the Order of Malta at the age of 20 in 1514.

A 26 Euro cents stamp showing de La Valette was issued among a set of 28 stamps on 30^th September 2014 to commemorate the Grandmasters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

de La Valette is regarded as the Order of Malta’s hero and most illustrious leader for his courageous resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. A 2c stamp showing the armour of Grandmaster de La Valette was issued on 20^th January 1977 as part of Suits of Armour. During the siege, de La Valette, his knights and the Maltese troops fought with the Ottomons for more than three months to defend Malta. A 16c stamp showing de La Valette was issued on 26^th February 1999 to commemorate the Military Order of Malta.

 

After winning the great battle on 7th September 1565, de La Valette, followed by the knights and a rejoicing Maltese crowd, expressed their thanksgiving before the icon of Lady of Damascus. de La Valette was known to be a fervent devotee of this Madonna. He left his cap and sword on the steps of the altar as a votive offering. A 6d stamp showing de La Valette in praying position was issued on 7th September 1962 to commemorate the Great Siege.

As a result of the Order’s victory de La Valette gained much prestige in Europe. It is said that he declined the offer of a cardinal’s hat in order to maintain independence from the papacy. Many attribute this to his sense of modesty and his humility as a warrior monk. A 2/6 stamp showing the obverse and reverse sides of the GS coin was issued on 1^st September 1965. The obverse side shows the bust head of de La Valette. This stamp was part of a seven set of stamps to commemorate the IV Centenary of the Great Siege.

Realising that the Maltese islands must be saved from future attacks, the knights of the Order of Malta decided to build a fortress city on the peninsula overlooking the harbour. That city was named Valletta after the ruling Grandmaster, de La Valette! Valletta was to be not only a fortress city, but the cultural home to some of the finest works of 16th – 18th century Europe. A 2d stamp showing de La Valette  was issued as part of set of five stamps on 28^th March 1966 to commemorate the IV Centenary of the Foundation of Valletta, which was laid by the de La Valette himself.

On the 450th anniversary of the founding of Valletta, a miniature sheet showing de La Valette and a map of Valletta was issued on 28th March 2016:

de La Valette died on 21st August 1568. A set of four stamps designed by E.V. Cremona were issued in Malta to commemorate the IV Centenary of the Death of de La Valette. The 1d stamp shows the coat of arms of de La Valette. The 8d shows a painting of de La Valette by Favray. The 1/6 stamp shows his crypt inside St. John’s Co-Cathedral. The 2/6 stamp shows two putti holding an ornate frame with de La Valette’s date of expiry.