Co-Cathedral, Valletta

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Some people say that if you can see only one site in Valletta, it should be St. John's Co-Cathedral. I'd say, I must agree!

The side entrance to St. John's Co-Cathedral is deceptively simple and unadorned. It completely misguides you into thinking that the interior of the cathedral may also be austere and plain. Nothing could be further from the truth!! Every inch of the inside of this Cathedral is a work of art.

The Cathedral is the creation of Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar. The Cathedral was commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassiere, as a "conventual church" for the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John. The inside of St. John's is a showcase of works by notable artists such as Mattia Preti, who was responsible for the interior design and much of the artwork; Caravaggio; and Maltese artist, Stefano Erardi.

One of my favorite aspects is the floor of the Cathedral which is covered with multiple, inlaid, colorful marble designs and inscriptions, and under which a Knight of St. John lies buried. To everlasting dismay, I was not able to get decent photos due to the shear number of tourists trampling the floor.

On the exterior of the Cathedral you will notice two symmetrical bell towers atop solid but plain walls and front entrance. It's said that this fortress-looking character is due to the somber mood of the Knights of St. John subsequent to the Great Seige.

This is a place of worship and proper dress is required! Shawls / wraps are provided at the entrance--"Stiletto heels and narrow heeled shoes are not permitted on the inlaid marble floor. Slippers can be purchased at Lm0.42 / €1.00 per pair
Backpacks are to be carried in front of you.
Photography is allowed but the use of flash is forbidden."

Open to the public: Monday to Friday- 09.30hrs to 16.30hrs
(last admission at 16.00hrs) ; Saturday: 09.30hrs to 12.30hrs
(last admission at 12.00hrs) .

Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays.

Entrance Fees: Adults : €5.82; Children under 12 Free when accompanied by an adult (2009)

ISIC card holders / pensioners: €4.66 (2009)

Admission includes hand-held Audio guides available in 6 languages.

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St. John's Co-Cathedral is called like this because there’s another cathedral n the island, in Mdina - and no one wanted to lower its status. It’s not the most imposing church on the outside (the Anglican Cathedral is a lot more majestic) but inside it’s impressive.

This co-cathedral is very special place because it hosts the grave of Jean Parisot de la Valletta, the founder of the city and Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. He’s not alone to be buried there, as the floor is paved with 364decorated marble tomb-stones under which lie the bones of 364 knights.

The vault is really wonderful: it was painted by Mattia Preti and illustrates episodes from the life of St. John the Baptist: my three and a half months baby could not stop squealing in delight at the sight. The nave is flanked by eight chapels, each one dedicated to a different Language of the Order. Don’t miss two fine Caravaggio paintings: the ‘beheading of St. John‘ in the oratory and ‘St. Jerome’in the Chapel of Italy.

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It was commissioned in 1572 by the grand master Jean de la Cassiere. It is called a co-cathedral because it is linked to a convent.
Glormu Cassar who also designed other buildings in Valletta designed it.
Mattia Preti decorated the interior of the cathedral in the seventeenth century. The vault depicts the life of St John.
The beautiful marble floor consists of a collection of tombstones belonging to the knights. Some depict the individual stories of the knights telling of their acts of bravery, chivalry and religious ardour.

THE NAVE
The nave is 53 metres in length and 15 meters wide and has side chapels on each side. The chapels are assigned to various langues Italy, France, Provence, Anglo Bavarian, Auvergne, Aragon and Castille, Leon and Portugal.

THE SANCTUARY
The sanctuary is the focal point of the church. It holds the high altar.

HOLY MASS

weekdays
07.30
08.30

saturdays
07.30
08.30
18.00 [winter 17.30]

sundays
07.15
08.00
09.15 sung mass
11.00
12.00
18.00 [winter 17.30]

COST
adults 6 euros
senior 4.60 euros
students 3.50 euros
children under 12 FREE when accompanied by an adult.

Designed by Gerolamo Cassar and consecrated in 1578, the cathedral looks plain from the outside. However once you step inside you are overwhelmed by its beauty.

The floor is covered in coloured marble and many Knights are buried beneath the tombstones. The nave is covered in magnificent frescoes, at the end of this is the 17th century High Altar. It's a Baroque design and covered in precious metals & jewels. Leading off from the nave are the Chapels of the Langues. Each of the Langues was given its own chapel and they competed to make theirs the most decorated.

In the cathedral museum you'll find many important paintings & tapestries. It's dominated by The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608) by Caravaggio.

I wasn't able to take any photos inside, but one of my videos shows the cathedral's interior in all its glory.

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built by the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578
The interior in a sharp contrast with the exterior is extremely ornate and well decorated in the height of the Baroque period.
The interior was largely decorated by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist and Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. Noteworthy is the fact that the carving was all undertaken in-place rather than being carved independently and then attached to the walls. The Maltese limestone from which the Cathedral is built is particularly good for such intricate carving.

Closes at 12:00 on Saturday’s

Caravaggio arrived in Malta on July 1607, after running away from Rome, where he had just killed a man. It was strange that an escapee from Roman justice should seek haven in an island which was ruled by the Knights of Malta, who vowed obedience to the same pope he was fleeing from. Undoubtly, Caravaggio came to Malta with the blessing of the Grand Master, who required a prestigious artist to adorn the increasing number of new palaces and churches on the islands.
A year after his arrival, Caravaggio was Knighted. One could have expected this artist to settle down, after the narrow escape, but just a month later, he attacked and wounded a noble knight. Caravaggio was imprisoned in the castle of St Angelo, awaiting trial. Mysteriously, Caravaggio escaped prison and the island. The Order reacted swiftly. Caravaggio had left without authorization, and that entailed expulsion from the Order. He was expelled in absentia, in the Oratory of St John’s, in the presence of his own masterpiece, - The Beheading of the Baptist.
While in Malta, Caravaggio painted several masterpieces – The beheading of the Baptist, St Jerome Writing, Grand Master Wignacourt, The Sleeping Cupid and Knight of Malta.
Reference- Ph. Farrugia Randon’s book – Caravaggio Knight of Malta

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Unless you've done some research prior to visiting Malta, or were an Art History major in college, you may not be aware of the impressive artwork in St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

The artist, Mattia Preti was selected to adorn the interior of the cathedral; yet in actuality, he was not the only artist to play a role in this mission. Perhaps some of Preti's most well-known work these days just may be the vaulted ceilings of the Cathedral which he painted. Our introduction to the Cathedral highlighted Preti's painting of the ceilings which depict scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist. Closer at hand are the intricately carved stone walls which are nothing short of amazing. The walls and side altars all have extremely detailed and fine works of art, even to the point of resembling embossed leather. There is a magnificent collection of Flemish tapestries in St. John's which was a gift from Aragonese Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful who was elected in 1697; the set consists of 29 separate tapestries. In addition, let your eyes be drawn to silver & bronze altar pieces and religious objects which fill every niche.

Fortunately, Preti was an admirer of the work of the famous Italian artist, Michelangelo de Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). If you visit St. John's you will see two of Caravaggio's famous works "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist," and "St. Jerome." Although Caravaggio had somewhat of a dubious personal reputation, he nevertheless painted religious subjects prolifically. His enormous talent is unquestionable, however but I found the subject matter is sometimes not to my taste. (I'm not fond of death scenes!!)

The only piece of art which Caravaggio ever signed is "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist which is not tucked away in some corner of a vast museum---amazingly, this celebrated art is for everyone to see at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. Admssion tickets to the Co-Cathedral are necessary.

The Cathedral is open Monday to Friday: 09.30hrs to 16.30hrs -(last admission at 16.00hrs)

Saturday: 09.30hrs to 12.30hrs (last admission at 12.00hrs)

Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays.

Admission Fees:

Adults: €5.82
Children under 12: free when accompanied by an adult
ISIC card holders / pensioners: €4.66

NOTE: The entrance fee includes the provision of handheld audio guides with 24 stops. These guides are available to visitors in six languages (Maltese, English, Italian, French, German and Spanish).

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From the outside the cathedral, built in the 1560's, seems very ordinary and austere. In contrast, the interior, designed designed practically a hunderd years later, is extremely ornate and decorated in the height of the Baroque period. The interior was largely decorated by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist and Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. Noteworthy is the fact that the carving was all undertaken in-place rather than being carved independently and then attached to the walls. The Maltese limestone from which the Cathedral is built lends itself particularly well to such intricate carving.

You might ask, why is it called a Co-Cathedral? (I wondered that myself).
Answer: In the 1820s, the Bishop of Malta, whose seat was at Mdina, was allowed to use St John’s as an alternative see, hence the name Co-Cathedral (1 bishop-2 cathedrals).