The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean de Vallette, on 28 March 1566; The Order decided to found a new city on the Scebberras peninsula just after the end of the great Siege of Malta, so as to fortify the Order's position in Malta, effectively binding the Knights to the island. The city was designed by Francesco Lapparelli, while many of the most important buildings were built by Gerolamo Cassar.