CYNTHIA DE GIORGIO is the curator of St John’s Co-Cathedral and museum. She studied history of art and eventually specialised in baroque studies. Ms de Giorgio is the author of the book ‘The Image of Triumph and the Knights of Malta’ which reveals the deep symbolic language of baroque decoration ranging from art and architecture to sculpture and tapestries. She spoke to Elaine Attard about Malta’s crown jewel.
“I would describe St John’s Co-Cathedral as a crown of many jewels adorning the city of the Knights of Malta,” said Ms de Giorgio when I asked her to describe St John’s Co-Cathedral. It was the place of pride for the Knights of Malta who built this extraordinary edifice as their conventual church on the highest and most central point of Valletta to represent their particular identity of a military and religious order.
They wanted to build something that signified their political and religious achievements and military power signifying the expulsion of the Ottomans out of Europe when they had already reached the gates of Vienna, explained Ms de Giorgio.
“With the rise of cultural tourism in Malta, the need to manage the co-cathedral in a professional manner was felt, so in 2001 the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation was set up to administer the church and museum to ensure its effective conservation and management as a historic and architectural monument as well as a sacred place of worship,” explained the curator on the main role of the Co-Cathedral foundation.
“Even the Knights had their own council that took care of the co-cathedral,” pointed out Ms de Giorgio. The foundation is a non-profit making entity while the council is made up of volunteers representing both the Church and the State. It uses the revenue generated through the admission fee for the constant maintenance, restoration and conservation of the Co-Cathedral. The atmosphere in the co-cathedral was vibrant with tourists admiring each corner of the church decorated with priceless masterpieces when I visited the church.
Ms Degiorgio explained that since 2003, the co-cathedral welcomed about 400,000 visitors yearly, that’s around third of all the tourists that visit Malta annually. However, a high percentage visit the Co-Cathedral while on a cruise. Close to 3000 visitors visit the Co-Cathedral on peak days making it the most visited historical site in Malta.
The church is indeed a collection of artistic heritage directly tied to the history of the Order of the Knights. “Over the years, the grand masters, dignitaries and knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich it with the best works of art by the leading artists available at their time,” explained Ms Degiorgio as we walked around the church. Very few know that the monumental ceiling that seems to do away with the architecture, decorated by Mattia Preti rivals that of the Sistine chapel in the Vatican. The ceiling was restored in the 19th century after damage was caused by water infiltration. At the time, restorers used to paint over the areas where paint was missing. Around a hundred years later a leading Italian restorer, Cesare Brandi pursued the laborious task of removing the over paintings and a metal protective roof was placed over all the church to diminish further deterioration. The ceiling was replaced again last year by an aluminum cover that insulates the building from the heat, the rain and humidity.
“Very little has changed inside the Co-Cathedral. The major change that occurred inside the church took place in the 17th century when Grand Master Raphael Cotoner set the ball rolling for a redecoration of the church interior,” she explained. “It was the high baroque period and time to transform the church’s interior into a celebration of baroque art using a profusion of gold, the delight of the era in contrast with the simplicity of the Co-Cathedral’s façade,” she went on. “We are working hard in maintaining and preserving the co-cathedral in its pristine conditions,” highlighted Ms de Giorgio.
“We are glad that two of the tapestries, The Triumph of Charity and The Institution of Corpus Christi were recently returned to Malta after they were restored. They form part of a unique set of 29 Flemish tapestries, the largest complete collection in the world,” explained Ms de Giorgio. Eight were restored so far and the foundation is targeting to restore two tapestries a year. The tapestries were meant to be suspended along the nave of the church during important celebrations. “Besides being decorative they also had a didactic scope as they tell the life of Christ and the divine truths of the Catholic faith as sketched by Peter Paul Rubens,” she explained.
Ms de Giorgio explained that the foundation employs the ever important administrative staff, a conservator, a research assistant and two full time ‘marmisti’ that take care of all the marble in the church including the unique marble tombstones. A lot of sooth deposited on the marble had to be cleaned off after the church was candle lit for 200 years. A protective carpet is now used to protect the flooring while candles are not used any more except for one oil lamp used for spiritual significance. A new less harmful lighting system was introduced to avoid damaging the canvases and to do away with candle fumes. The electrical system was revamped and an emergency generator installed while the public address system was renewed.
The ambience of the grandmaster’s crypt is currently being monitored to determine the humidity levels inside it harming the paintings inside. The crypt lies exactly under the high altar. The Grand Masters of Malta were buried right beneath the altar of their very own conventual church in Valletta, which was decorated in the proper fresco technique.
“I cannot, not mention Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St John which is housed inside the Oratory, an exceptional attraction together with the Saint Jerome,” added Ms de Giorgio. The oratory was a place of devotion for young novices. The Beheading is Caravaggio’s largest painting and the only painting that bears his signature. Many visit the Co-Cathedral specifically to see it, went on Ms de Giorgio. We have a highly advanced alarm and fire fighting system protecting the unique paintings.
“St John’s Co-Cathedral is a hive of activity when it comes to restoration which is constantly going on at St John’s Co-Cathedral. One of the main objectives of the foundation is to undertake important restoration projects, often having two or three projects going on at the same time. The Italian chapel was restored two years ago with the financial assistance of the Italian government. We have just finished the restoration of the arches in the main nave and are currently working of the restoration of the organs in the main nave. Within the next few weeks the Blessed Sacrament chapel will undergo restoration. There were projects undertaken which cannot be seen such as a UV/IR screens on all the windows. Several paintings have also been restored and monuments cleaned while the exceptional marble floor is continually being repaired by our own ‘Marmisti’. There was also the introduction of audio guides. There are too many projects to mention all in one go. The work involved is extremely specialised, time consuming and very expensive, but also vital if such great works of art of international importance are to be preserved for future generations to appreciate. This is the fundamental objective of the Foundation whose members leave no stone unturned to ensure only the best professional treatment is given to this national monument,” said Ms de Giorgio. The Foundation also undertakes events that promote cultural awareness such as exhibitions and seminars on restoration projects that have taken place.
The Foundation’s main challenge is that of expanding the Co-Cathedral’s museum to display the whole set of tapestries in a way they can be appreciated properly. Besides, there are other artifacts, which lie hidden that would be exhibited to visitors. The plans to develop an underground museum were opposed following speculation about its possible impact and were eventually shelved. “The foundation is made of individuals who enjoy challenges and they are sure to overcome this one too in the future. They are very satisfied to see the Co-Cathedral being instrumental in promoting religious culture through the several concerts of sacred music and other events organised on a regular basis, which are free of charge for all enthusiasts to enjoy. At the same time they are fully aware that St John’s Co-Cathedral is primarily a place of worship,” concluded Ms de Giorgio.