St. John’s Co-Cathedral: The Gem of Malta

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit a monument of extraordinary artistic and historical complexity.

The cathedral’s facade is framed by two imposing bell towers. Decorative niches and a balustraded balcony offer moments of ornament, while three clocks on the right side display the time, day, and date, lending a note of practicality to the otherwise austere exterior. The restrained design reflects the architect’s military training as much as his architectural vision. Artush /Shutterstock

Rising from the fortified streets of Valletta like a sentinel of stone, St. John’s Co-Cathedral commands attention as one of the Mediterranean’s most extraordinary religious monuments.

Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the cathedral was commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière, the 51st Grand Master of the Order of Malta and supreme leader of the Knights of St. John. Construction lasted from 1573 and 1578, and the church was completed by 1577, at which point it replaced St. Lawrence’s Church in Birgu as the principal ecclesiastical institution of the Order.