Baroque Churches: Valletta Co Cathedral St John

Monday, 12 November 2018

Valletta Co Cathedral St John

Valletta is the capital of Malta but it is a new city - dating from after the Great Siege by the Turks in 1565. Previous to that the headquarters of the Knights of St John was in Birgu, the other side of what is now known as the Grand Harbour. (And what a grand harbour ! one of the sights of the world and now featuring in so many films and also on Game of Thrones!) The new city requiured a new conventual church for the Knights and it was Grand Master Jean de la Cassiere who commissioned it from the Maltese architect, Giralomi Cassar.

It was built 1573-7 with the sacristy added in 1598 and oratory in 1603. The side chapels were added in the 18th century. At first it was a severe plain Mannerist building . Even today the exterior is more like a fortress and gives no hint of the baroque splendour inside. It was Sir Walter Scott who praised the interior to the skies and said he had never seen a more magnificent one. I had seen pictures and imagined it in a narrower street and expected it to be a Church of England cathedral! I now know better : Malta is resolutely Roman Catholic and since the later 1660s this church has been embellished to the hilt in accordance with Baroque Rome.The Knights in their various Langues (international divisions) set out to fill it with splendid art. Unfortunately Napoleon removed some of it when the French invaded. Much has been recovered and today what we see is still overwhelming. It is called a co-Cathedral because it is with the Cathedral in Mdina, jointly the seat of the local Archbishop. It is one of the great Baroque churches of Europe.

The floor has 375 marble tombstones bearing family name, arms, dates and exploits. The masterstroke is the six panels in the tunnel vault of 18 scenes from the life of St John the Baptist

painted by Mattia Preti 1662-7. The choir contains a large white sculpture by Giuseppe Mazzuoli. There are carved 16th century choir stalls.

Each Langue has a side chapel trying to outdo the others. It is a joy processing from one to the other: looking at the altars and wall decoration.

The massive sacristy is full of fine paintings. The oratory contains two huge Caravaggios from the time when he was a Knight. He had had to flee from the Roman police and was accepted as a Knight of St John. Unfortunately he soon picked a fight with another Knight and was put in prison and kicked out of the Order.