St John's Co-Cathedral: for a handful of gold
St. John’s Co-Cathedral is more than a church. It is an important cultural icon that contains connections to a large part of the Maltese history. Decked out in the high baroque style, the main theme of the actual cathedral is gold. Walking through the main part of the cathedral is like experiencing the mythical end of the rainbow. While gold predominates, all of the other colors of the rainbow are in evidence as well. No blank space is left unadorned.
The self-guided audio tour is a comprehensive review of the historical artifacts in the cathedral that allows visitors to go at their own pace. Aside from the main floor, the cathedral houses museum space that includes church vestments and giant illuminated choral books.
Perhaps the most interesting story is that the Cathedral used to be the resting place of John the Baptist’s right hand – the hand he would have used to baptize Jesus with. When Napoleon came to conquer the island under the pretense of needing fresh water, the much weakened Knights of Malta put up little resistance. Napoleon confiscated the jewel encrusted reliquary where the hand resided. However, the island’s last Grandmaster, Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, took John the Baptist’s hand and escaped from Malta with it. Imagine trying to explain that to border patrol.
The self-guided audio tour is a comprehensive review of the historical artifacts in the cathedral that allows visitors to go at their own pace. Aside from the main floor, the cathedral houses museum space that includes church vestments and giant illuminated choral books.
Perhaps the most interesting story is that the Cathedral used to be the resting place of John the Baptist’s right hand – the hand he would have used to baptize Jesus with. When Napoleon came to conquer the island under the pretense of needing fresh water, the much weakened Knights of Malta put up little resistance. Napoleon confiscated the jewel encrusted reliquary where the hand resided. However, the island’s last Grandmaster, Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, took John the Baptist’s hand and escaped from Malta with it. Imagine trying to explain that to border patrol.