Caterina Vitale (1566–1619) was the first female pharmacist and chemist in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, and the first female pharmacist of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

. Caterina Vitale was originally from Greece. She married Ettore Vitale, pharmacist of the Knights Hospitaller, when she was a teenager. Upon his death in 1590, she inherited his pharmacy and the task of providing pharmacies to the Sacra Infermeria. She was described as a successful businessperson, became very rich, and is known as a benefactor of the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

. Being in an uncommon position for a woman, she was a controversial person and the subjects of legends, libelous slander and rumours, and was accused of being an enterprising prostitute, litigator and sadistic torturer of slaves. She died in 1619 at

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

and her body was brought to Valletta and buried at the Carmelite Church. To the left and right as you enter the church are her tombstone, and the tombstone of Caterina Scappi, the founder of the first hospital for women in Malta. Upon her death she bequeathed part of her fortune and her property

Selmun Palace Selmun Palace (), also known as Selmun Tower, is a villa on the Selmun Peninsula in Mellieħa, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, funded by the Monte di Pietà. The palace was located on the gro ...

to the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, a charity founded during the reign of Grand Master

Alof de Wignacourt Fra Alof de Wignacourt (1547 – 14 September 1622) was a French people, French nobleman who was the 54th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 10 February 1601 to ...

in 1607 to finance the redemption of the Maltese who had fallen into slavery. She also left legacies to the Order of Malta, to her niece, to the Carmelites, to the Greek Church, but left nothing to her daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitale, Caterina 1566 births 1619 deaths 16th-century Maltese businesspeople 16th-century women scientists 17th-century Maltese businesspeople 17th-century women scientists Maltese women scientists Maltese people of Greek descent Women pharmacologists Women chemists 16th-century businesswomen 17th-century businesswomen 17th-century pharmacists Maltese slave owners Women slave owners

See also

Further reading

References