The Church of San Giovanni, in Piazza Saffi, was erected in 1653 to house, along with some adjacent buildings, the Knights of the Order of Malta.
If you go to the back, on Via dei Granari, you can find the coat of arms of the Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, which was founded in the Middle Ages to provide assistance and protection to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land, and which, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the subsequent Turkish conquests the Order, moved from Cyprus to Malta and gave rise to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta, which still exists today. From this religious and military order, were chosen the commanders of the pontifical galleys, which were in the port of Civitavecchia ready to fight the continuous raids of pirates. In 1830 the order moved to Iesi and sold all of its property, which was purchased by Civitavecchia’s Marquis Calabrini.
The Church of St. John, after being badly damaged by bombing in 1943, has in recent years become the headquarters of the diocesan Caritas and other humanitarian associations, such as the Community of St. Egidio.
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