Description of the attraction
Valletta Cathedral, known as St. John's Cathedral, consecrated in honor of St. John the Baptist, appeared in the main city of the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578, during the reign of the Grand Master Jean de la Cassier. The construction of the most important temple in Malta was given to the order's permanent architect - Girolamo Cassar. The austere, austere exterior of the Baroque building contrasts sharply with its rich interior. Above the central portal, you can see a balcony, from where the Grand Master, assuming office, made a solemn speech. The spiers of two bell towers were damaged during the bombing of the Second World War and were never rebuilt.
The entrance to the Cathedral is paid. When buying a ticket, you can take an audio guide, including in Russian. The tour of the cathedral lasts about an hour.
Each master who led the Order of Malta had to donate some relic or valuable work of art to the cathedral. Therefore, the rectangular nave of the temple with eight side chapels looks more like a jewelry box than the usual interior of the house of God. Each visitor to the cathedral first of all pays attention to the floor, where bright tombstones of the order's elite are installed. There are about 400 burials here. Each plate depicts the iconic symbols of the order, sayings in Latin, knightly mottos and much more. A member of the order and painter Mattia Preti worked on the painted vault, which depicts a fresco on the theme of the life of St. John the Baptist. The main attraction of the temple is the original painting by Caravaggio "The Beheading of John the Baptist."
