Italian art critic and TV personality Vittorio Sgarbi said he was horrified by works impacting the oratory that hosts Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Beheading of St John the Baptist in Valletta.

In a video shot in Merchants Street, Sgarbi lambasted the concrete “horror” that is being built at St John’s co-Cathedral, saying Caravaggio does not deserve this kind of treatment.  

“This will probably remain for centuries, as an anonymous marker of this historic moment when Caravaggio was humiliated,” he scathingly remarked, visibly irritated.

Sgarbi, 71, said he had been alerted to the horror by Maltese friends.

He said he found it “incredible” to see a concrete extension rising atop Caravaggio’s oratory, “one of the world’s most sacred art sites.”

The idea is intended to create a tapestry hall that will house 29 recently restored Flemish tapestries that are currently homeless. The tapestries were gifted to the Cathedral by Grandmaster Ramon Perellos in 1702. 

The construction has been criticised because it will mean a window shining light onto Caravaggio’s masterpiece will be permanently covered.

A group of 28 Caravaggio experts from across the globe had collectively called for an investigation into the works.

The St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation said the oratory that hosts Caravaggio’s painting had already been altered 300 years ago and that the window in question was kept permanently closed to protect the painting from damage.

"It seems Malta forgot her history and glory," Sgarbi commented.