St. John’s Co-Cathedral (Valletta, Malta)

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is a Catholic church located in Valletta, Malta’s capital city, and was established from 1573 to 1578 AD by knights of Malta who saved the nation from Turkish attempt of invasion. The establishment was started immediately after Siege of Malta in 1565, known as “one of the bloodiest and most fiercely contested in history” that knights of Malta guarded Malta from the Ottoman Empire’s invasion. Therefore, like the city itself, the cathedral looks a fortress.

The limestone-made exterior looks plain and modest as it doesn't have many decorations, but once you go inside, your eyes will open wide; you’ll be hooked on the sumptuous interior decorations. You’ll be surrounded by golden columns with sculptures of angels, saints and other Christianity-related objects. Fresco pictures on the ceiling and the floor are also an eye-opening decoration, too. The difference between its external and internal is quite impressive.

In the main chapel, there are tomb stones given to some knights who contributed to Malta. Those have gorgeous decorations including his emblem and a figure of the knight’s body buried underneath. The most important knights’ are placed nearby the main alter. The cathedral is a place for living beings to practice their religion and a place for dead beings to rest in peace, too.

The church has also Caravaggio’s pictures and they are exhibited in the annexed small chapel. “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” was drawn by him in 1608 AD and the genuine remaining with his signature is exhibited, too. However, visitors are not allowed to take the photo.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is built by a favor of Knights of Malta, so it’s not the archbishop’s cathedral in Malta. However, in light of its importance and popularity, the bishop who sat at the archbishop’s cathedral of Malta in 1820s AD gave a status of “Co-Cathedral” to this church.

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