(Rivista Internazionale - December 1994: General Inventory of the Assets of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - 2/2)

It must also be borne in mind that these properties often have a double aspect: as museums or for exhibitions, as well as places for hospitality, social events, ceremonies, modern work and daily presence.

The cultural events, often with a symbolic significance, organised by the various bodies of the Order with increasing frequency (such as the Columbus celebrations, held in 1992 in Genoa, and the exhibition in Prague in 1993), as well as the visits of the public to the Order's architectural heritage, sometimes also housing works of art, have prompted certain modernisations, involving conservation techniques which require a correct inventory.

Let me just point out the recent restoration of the great hall in Magione Castle, prompted by the increasing popularity of guided visits. Cultural events, for which suitable structures were previously lacking in the area, can now be organised in the hall. The programme of the Receiver of the Common Treasure and the Keeper of Magistral Residences is based on these considerations. The aim of the inventory is to obtain in-depth and systematic information on the Order's art and real estate heritage and the collections therein, so as better to assess them. This will help decide on what restoration is necessary and, above all, will make information available to scholars on the possessions which, for obvious reasons, are and must remain separate from direct contact with the public (for example, the geological study, carried out for maintenance purposes, of the Aventine Hill where one of the Order's extra-territorial seats is located). There is no doubt that the Order's heritage, and in particular its cultural assets, is an important element of its tradition and history.

It is only by respecting these assets with continual maintenance and restoration that we can hope that the Order will increase now and in the future, symbol of a conscious testimony to and recognition of its ability to safeguard its traditional values.

The Magistral Residences, whose institutional character suggest an external contact surmounting any strict schemata, deserve a separate mention. Their endowments are increasingly emblematic of the transparency and perseverance of the Order's commitment towards its possessions.

The inventory of the assets of the Order of Malta, embracing both buildings and works of art, represents a «unicum» in cultural heritages in Europe (witness the Order's commitment for the Priory Palace in Prague and the recently restored S. Angelo Fort). For this reason, much time and patience was devoted to research into the Order's possessions, and a great quantity of photographs were taken, often in difficult circumstances because of problems of access.

The experts involved in the co-ordination and management of the books have worked and will be working for a long time, as will those dealing with the archives and iconography.
For the goals and organisation of the classification carried out so far, it only remains to be said that a Register of Public (and therefore entailed) Properties must be established, in the context of the reform of the Order's constitutional documents (Charter and Code).
All assets which, by their nature, must no longer be able to be transferred should be entered in this Register. This is the only way to ensure that the major part of the Order's heritage is safe from random and hasty sales or transformations which have greatly impoverished its real estate and personal property in the past.

I would also like to stress the significance and importance of a historical and critical up-dating of the analyses of the works of art in the various sections of the inventory. This must be a profound commitment for those who will be dealing with these matters, and it would be also interesting to look at the possibility of having a permanent exhibition space. With regards to this «ad experimentum» topic, I would like to recall the recently created Museum of Chignolo Po and the forthcoming opening of the Rhodes Museum. Alongside a permanent activity, exhibitions with a specific theme could also find room here.

I personally, in the position I hold, am left with the satisfaction of having initiated the General Inventory of the Properties of the Order in view of the year 2000. Its objective remains that of a service within the limits of institutional aims, expressing the need for the exaltation of historical values as elements identifying the Order's charisma. I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to all those who have worked and will be working on these inventories. A gratitude I would also like to extend to all the bodies of the Order who have shown their willingness and co-operation. A co-operation that will still be needed for our future path, which I would like to entrust to the blessing of the Holy Virgin of Fileremo and to St. John the Baptist, patron of the Order.

Carlo Marullo di Condojanni
Bailiff Grand Cross of Obedience

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