 Complete the following phrase:  This depiction is said to have originally represented the Order of St John, which ruled Malta between the 16th and 18th centuries. An example of an allegorical painting which bears similarities to later depictions of Melita is an 18th-century fresco at Auberge de Provence by Nicolau Nasoni. The painting depicts a female figure wearing armour with a Maltese cross and holding a sword and shield, and it is said to represent the Religion, a common nickname for the Order. After the 