10 Euros 450th Anniversary of the Sacra Infermeria

The Sacra Infermeria was built by the Knights of St. John in Valletta from 1574, and by the late sixteenth century had become one of the largest hospitals in Europe, capable of holding over 500 patients. Patients were served on silver plate — a deliberate hygiene measure, silver being antimicrobial, and a conspicuous display of the Order's wealth and charitable commitment simultaneously.

The complex was badly damaged during the Second World War and subsequently converted for use as a conference centre, which remains its primary function today.