Nicolas Cotoner

Fra ' Nicolas Cotoner y de Oleza (* 1608, † April 29, 1680 ) was the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Malta.

He belonged to the Aragonese tongue of the Order. It was after the death of his brother, the Grand Master Raphael Cotoner, elected on October 23, 1663 as his successor.

During his reign, the artist Mattia Preti is operated in the former main church of the Order, now St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, in the Nicolas Cotoner also found his final resting place.

Nicolas Cotoner was stubborn, impetuous and quick-tempered. He had not only to Preti's work with great interest, but also to improve the Sacra Infermeria, the largest religious Hospital. In 1676 he founded a medical college, the school of anatomy and surgery.

Likewise, emerged at this time huge fortifications that was named after him Cotonera Lines.

Like his brother Nicolas was also a great builder and the coat of arms of the two is chiselled in most facades of palaces, churches and fortifications in Valletta and in other parts of the island. However, the artistic embellishment of the St. John 's Co-Cathedral remains her biggest contribution. It was a time of prosperity on the islands, but their mania for building and her extravagant taste were a burden on the treasury.