Собор Святого Иоанна в Валлетте: История и Искусство

Catholic co cathedral in Malta

St John's Co Cathedral is a Catholic co cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1573 and 1578, having been commissioned by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the Conventual Church of Saint John
The church was designed by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar, who designed several of the more prominent buildings in Valletta. In the 17th century, its interior was redecorated in the Baroque style by Mattia Preti and other artists. The interior of the church is considered to be one of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe.

The cathedral's exterior is built in the Mannerist style typical of its architect Girolamo Cassar. Its façade is rather plain but well proportioned, being bounded by two large bell towers. The niches and the columns are a break with the rest of exterior Mannerist architecture. reflecting both Cassar's style as a military engineer as well as the Order's mood in the years following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. There is also a crypt containing the tombs of Grand Masters like Philippe Villiers de L'Isle Adam, Claude de la Sengle, Jean Parisot de Valette, and Alof de Wignacourt. In 1666, a project for the main altar by Malta's greatest sculptor, Melchiorre Cafà, was approved and begun. Cafà intended a large sculpture group in bronze depicting the Baptism of Christ. Following Cafà's tragic death in 1667 in a foundry accident while tending to this work in Rome, the plans were abandoned. Only in 1703, Giuseppe Mazzuoli, Cafà's only pupil, finished a marble group of the Baptism of Christ which might have been influenced by his master's undocumented designs but certainly is strongly dependent on a small baptism group by Alessandro Algardi. The funerary monument of Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari (died 1722), nephew of Pope Alexander VII, is located close to the main entrance. It was originally meant to be installed in the Chapel of the Langue of Italy, but it was too large so it was placed in the nave.

The painting depicting The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608) by Caravaggio (1571–1610) is the most famous work in the church. Considered one of Caravaggio's masterpieces, the largest canvas he painted and the only painting signed by the painter, the canvas is displayed in the Oratory for which it was painted. Restored in the late 1990s in Florence, this painting is one of Caravaggio's most impressive uses of the chiaroscuro style for which he is most famous with a circle of light illuminating the scene of St John's beheading at the request of Salome. The oratory also houses Caravaggio's Saint Jerome Writing (1607–1608). Another impressive feature of the church is the collection of marble tombstones in the nave in which were buried important knights. The more important knights were placed closer to the front of the church. These tombstones, richly decorated with in laid marble and with the coats of arms of the knight buried below as well as images relevant to that knight, often telling a story of triumph in battle, form a rich visual display in the church. Adjoining to the church is the St John's Co Cathedral Museum containing art objects. Among the contents of the museum there are the Flemish Tapestries designed by Peter Paul Rubens, which were donated by Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, paintings of Grand Masters Jean de la Cassière, Nicolas Cotoner and Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, and paintings which were formerly in the side chapels such as St. George killing the Dragon by Francesco Potenzano.

St. John's Co Cathedral is located in the centre of Valletta, and it is a short walk away from the bus terminus near City Gate. The main entrance of the cathedral is in St John's Square, but the visitors' entrance is from Great Siege Square in Republic Street, facing the Law Courts. The cathedral is open to the public from Mondays to Fridays between 10:30 and 14:30 (last admission at 14:00), and on Saturdays between 09:30 and 12:30 (last admission at 12:00). It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. As of October 2022, the entrance fee is €15 for adults, €12 for students or senior citizens, while children under the age of 12 enter free of charge when accompanied by an adult. This fee includes the provision of audio guides available in Maltese, English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Russian. People visiting the cathedral for Mass only do not have to pay the entrance fee.