Fall Serenity at St. John’s Co-Cathedral: Mozart’s Requiem

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In the heart of Valletta, St. John’s Co-Cathedral hosted an unforgettable fall concert featuring Mozart’s Requiem. On a crisp November evening, the cathedral’s golden baroque interior amplified the choir’s soaring voices and the orchestra’s rich melodies, creating a spiritual experience. The 2025 fall concert season at St. John’s blends classical masterpieces with the season’s serene ambiance, drawing music lovers globally. Visitors must explore the cathedral.
Here's what to see inside this "crown jewel" of Valletta.

1. The Marble Floors: A "Patchwork Quilt" of Tombs
Step into the nave and gaze down at the iridescent marble tombstones—over 400 slabs in black, red, and white, inlaid with Knights' coats-of-arms, epitaphs, and Latin inscriptions recounting heroic deaths. Crafted by enslaved Turkish prisoners post-siege, these personalized memorials create a rippling "quilt" effect that's both macabre and mesmerizing. It's the floor that steals the show, worn smooth by centuries of footsteps.

2. The Vaulted Ceiling and Mattia Preti's Frescoes
Look up to the soaring barrel-vaulted ceiling, alive with 18 dramatic vignettes by Preti (a Knight himself from 1660) depicting scenes from St. John the Baptist's life, like his baptism of Christ and beheading. Gold-leaf accents, stucco carvings, and trompe-l'œil effects make it feel like a painted sky. The eight side chapels, divided by "langues" (national groups of Knights), each have unique marble altars and relics—don't miss the French langue's gilded extravagance or the Italian's silver monstrance.

3. Caravaggio's Masterpieces in the Oratory
The highlight for art lovers: two Caravaggio paintings in the Oratory (built 1598–1604). The star is The Beheading of St. John the Baptist (1608), his largest canvas and the only one he signed (in the blood pooling from the saint's neck—"f. Michelangelo" for "fra" or brother, as he was briefly a Knight). It's a raw, shadowy drama of violence and remorse. Nearby, St. Jerome Writing (1608) shows the scholar in ascetic agony. Caravaggio painted these during his stormy Malta stay before fleeing after a brawl. View them in the dimly lit space for maximum drama.

4. The Cathedral Museum and Sacristy
Accessed via the sacristy (with its own Preti frescoes), the museum showcases treasures like 16th-century illuminated Graduals (choral books) from Grand Master L'Isle Adam, 17th-century Flemish tapestries designed by Rubens (depicting knightly victories), and silver reliquaries. Peer into the treasury for jeweled icons and the Knights' elaborate vestments. It's a compact but glittering collection that ties the cathedral's history together—reopened post-2020 renovations.

5. The Belfry and Clock Tower (Hidden Gem Tour)
For panoramic views, book the 30-minute Belfry and Clock Tour (€5 extra, hourly, max 10 people). Climb 99 narrow steps to the tower's three clocks (one tells time, others the day and week) and stand under a massive bell for sweeping vistas over Valletta's honey-hued rooftops and Grand Harbour. Not for the claustrophobic, but it's a serene contrast to the interior's bustle.

Post by Belinda S.G | Nov 1, 2025