Near Fort St. Elmo you can see the elongated building of the Mediterranean Conference Centre, which is considered to be one of the largest in Malta and Europe. This structure was erected by the Knights Hospitallers in 1574. It housed a hospital called the Sacra Infermeria, i.e. the Holy Hospital. As it is known, one of the tasks of the Order of Malta was to provide medical assistance to all suffering people, regardless of their position in society and religion. All local residents sought medical help at this particular infirmary.
The hospital in those days was huge, designed for 600 beds, and well equipped. The sick were cared for by the knights themselves. Many of them were well versed in medicine and could perform the most complex surgical operations. The Order of Malta also paid great attention to hygiene, which was quite atypical for that time. The hospital used silver cutlery, and this was not an extravagance. The knights believed that silver kept diseases from spreading.
The Sacra Infermeria Hospital had the longest hospital ward in the world. It was 155 metres long. It is now a dining hall used for banquets for 900 people.
The conference centre consists of 12 rooms of varying sizes. The long tunnel leading from the Sacra Infermeria to the bastion of St Lazarus houses an interesting historical exhibition and a souvenir shop. In the bastion there is an underground cinema, where the film "History of Malta" is shown, accompanied by text in different languages, including Russian.
