I read the item titled ‘The Knights in Sardinia’ (November 12) with great interest.

I was impressed with the research by Fr Angelo Manca, a Sardinian native who gave a talk on the Knights of Malta leaving their mark on buildings in Santu Lussurgiu, Sassari, Guspini and Cagiliari.

The fact that the symbols of the knights remain on buildings still standing today is tangible proof that Sardinia was indeed a Knights of Malta stronghold.

In my family, for generations, it has been said that my ancestors and forebears were members of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, informally known as ‘the Knights of Malta’ or ‘The Order of Malta’.

As an aside, some years ago, I was doing a genealogical study of my paternal ancestors’ chromosomes and a unique gene haplogroup found in my blood (as well as in the blood of a second cousin of mine) contained a ‘marker’ which the DNA scientists said was common to ancient peoples in Sardinia. Although my ‘Marples’ family is British, it is nice to know that I eventually have a heritage tracing back to Sardinia. This further supports the connection between my ancestors and the Knights of Malta.

Many people forget that Sardinia was once under attack by Saracen raids, then the beginnings of a country was composed of the Guidicati States, followed by the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Crown of Aragon. This was followed by the House of Savoy governing. Eventually, the Kingdom of Sardinia was absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy.

It is clear that the connection with Italy (which continues to this day) was facilitated by the Knights of Malta who must be credited with influencing the ‘modern Sardinia’ of today.

I consider the Knights of Malta as a conduit that enabled peace and Christian stability in the entire region.