A special study day will be held on Wednesday as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the birth of artist Mattia Preti.

The study day, organised by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura and Sante Guido and Giuseppe Mantella, will be held at the Istituto in the morning and at the Santa Caterina d’Italia church in Valletta in the afternoon.

It will focus on two knights from Calabria, Mattia Preti and Gregorio Caraffa who later became Grand Master of the Order.

The world’s foremost authority on Mattia Preti, John Spike, will speak at a forum moderated by Judge Giovanni Bonello, which begins at 10am, and includes speakers Cecilia Parri, Professor Dennis de Lucca and Theresa Vella.

The afternoon session, beginning at 2.45pm, will focus on the collaboration between Mattia Preti and Gregorio Caraffa with special emphasis on the St Francis church in Valletta and the Rabat collegiate church. Among the speakers: Sante Guido and Giuseppe Mantella, Mgr John Azzopardi and Sandro Debono.