St. John's Co-Cathedral

St. John's Co-Cathedral is a baroque jewel which reflects the legacy of the Knights of St. John in Valletta. It's a must-see location in Malta due to its contrasting façade and rich interior.

The cathedral's origins

After the victory of the Knights of the Order in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the funds raised and the wealth accumulated were put to use to build a new city, Valletta, with a great cathedral named after St. John the Baptist.

The knights ordered Gerolamo Cassar to construct the temple and the interior design was to be done by the Maltese native Mattia Preti. 6 years later, in 1578, St. John's Co-Cathedral was finished, and it quickly became the most important baroque church in all of Malta.

Nowadays, it's possible to see the marble slabs on the floor of the central nave, where 400 Knights of the Order are buried. Among them is the founder of the Maltese capital Jean Parisot de la Vallette.

A must-see location

St. John's Co-Cathedral is an example of the splendour of Maltese baroque work. Its carefully decorated and gilded walls are hard to find anywhere else in the county.

The cathedral forms part of a central nave and 8 lateral chapels, which represent the different languages spoken by the Order. It's interesting to take a look at each chapel, decorated with motifs and symbols of the nationality it represents.

Without a doubt, the most impressive element of the Co-Cathedral is the barrel vault. The painting is a work by the Italian master Matti Preti, who brought supreme realism to each figure depicted. Preti also decorated the lateral walls of the high altar, painted with scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist.

The walls of the Co-Cathedral are carved and decorated directly on the limestone, a very complex and advanced technique for that era.

Caravaggio's works in the cathedral

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting parts of visiting the Co-Cathedral of St. John is admiring the 2 paintings by Caravaggio which are housed there. The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist is the most important painting and presides over a large annexed room within the cathedral. It's one of Caravaggio's most masterful works, who lived in Malta for some time and was also a member of the Knights of the Order.

Within the Co-Cathedral of Saint John, Saint Jerome Writing can also be found, a smaller work indeed, but still rife with symbolism.