St George and the Dragon

Mattia Preti’s outstanding painting of St George and the Dragon, which is the altarpiece of the Chapel of Aragon, had such serious and urgent preservation problems that it was sent for restoration to the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome. The process started in January 2004.

In April 2005, to commemorate the completion of its restoration, the painting was exhibited in its full splendour, first in Rome, and then again in an exhibition in the Co-Cathedral on its return to Malta.