The exhibition commemorates the events of 7 June 1919, when social and economic tensions under British colonial rule erupted into unrest in Valletta. Rising food prices, post-war hardship, unemployment, and growing dissatisfaction with the colonial administration culminated in the deaths of four Maltese civilians. The events of Sette Giugno became a significant milestone in Malta’s journey towards self-government in 1921 and Independence in 1964.

At the centre of the exhibition is a remarkable and previously unstudied collection of funerary cartelloni preserved at St John’s Co-Cathedral. Comprising more than 200 painted funerary emblems dating from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, these works once formed part of elaborate funeral ceremonies for Grand Masters, Knights of the Order, ecclesiastical dignitaries, and prominent families. Displayed alongside the Cappella Ardente, they served as visual expressions of identity, status, and remembrance.

Particular focus is given to four rare cartelloni dated 7 June 1919 and traditionally associated with commemorations of the Sette Giugno victims and a High Mass celebrated in Floriana on 9 June. Although details of the original ceremony remain unknown, these objects offer a powerful insight into how communities memorialised loss and historical events.
Through these artefacts, the exhibition examines the role of ritual, symbolism, and public commemoration in shaping collective memory. It also highlights the continuity and evolution of funerary traditions within Malta’s cultural history.

The exhibition includes a dedicated accessibility station featuring tactile 2.5D wooden bas-relief reproductions, audio descriptions, and interpretive content, enabling visitors to engage with key objects through touch and sound.

Presented in the Sacristy of St John’s Co-Cathedral, ‘Sette Giugno 1919. Memory and Ritual’ offers a rare opportunity to explore an overlooked aspect of Malta’s cultural heritage and reflect on the enduring connections between history, remembrance, and public memory.

The exhibition is organised by St John’s Co-Cathedral in collaboration with CRPD – Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability, the National Archives of Malta, Fondazzjoni Fortunato u Enrico Mizzi, and the Parish Church of St Catherine, Żejtun.

The exhibition will be on display in the Sacristy of St John’s Co-Cathedral from 9 June to 10 July 2026. Admission is included with the standard entry ticket, while holders of a valid Maltese ID Card or Heritage Malta Passport may visit free of charge upon presentation of their card or passport.

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The Co-Cathedral will be closed on Thursday 18th June due to an internal event.

On Tuesday 9th June & Wednesday 10th June, the Co-Cathedral will open later, welcoming visitors from 10:00AM.

On Monday 29th June, the Co-Cathedral will be open on a public holiday.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you.

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In the Sacristy of St John’s Co-Cathedral, the exhibition revisits the events of 7 June 1919, a defining moment in Malta’s modern history, through an unexpected and fascinating lens: funerary cartelloni.

These beautifully painted funerary emblems, many of which have remained largely unseen and unstudied until now, once formed part of elaborate commemorative ceremonies honouring Grand Masters, Knights, ecclesiastical figures, and prominent families. Created on wood and paper and rich in symbolism, the cartelloni acted as visual markers of remembrance, preserving identity and memory within public ritual.

At the heart of the exhibition are four rare cartelloni dated 7 June 1919, traditionally associated with the victims of the Sette Giugno uprising and the High Mass celebrated in Floriana shortly after the tragic events unfolded.

Rather than presenting history as something distant or static, the exhibition explores how communities remember, mourn, and transform collective experiences into shared identity. Through ritual objects, historical research, and the evocative setting of St John’s Co-Cathedral itself, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the ways memory is constructed and carried across generations.

The exhibition also offers a rare opportunity to encounter a lesser-known aspect of Maltese cultural heritage within one of the island’s most iconic historic spaces. For both locals and visitors, it is a chance to engage with an important chapter of Maltese history through art, ceremony, and memory.

Marking the commemoration of Sette Giugno, this reminds us that remembrance is not only about looking back, but also about understanding how the past continues to shape who we are today.

📍 Sacristy, St John’s Co-Cathedral
🎟️ Exhibition included with the admission ticket.

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St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation is proud to announce that the Caravaggio Wing at St John’s Co-Cathedral has won the Best Use of Digital – International category at the 24th annual Museums + Heritage Awards, one of the most respected accolades in the global museum and heritage sector.

The win marks what is believed to be the first time a Maltese institution has received a Museums + Heritage Award, placing Malta firmly on the international cultural map alongside some of the world’s leading museums, galleries, and heritage attractions.

Recognised for its innovative and immersive visitor experience, the Caravaggio Wing transforms how audiences engage with The Beheading of St John the Baptist, one of art history’s most celebrated masterpieces. Through cinematic storytelling, immersive projections, and interactive digital interpretation exploring Caravaggio’s dramatic time in Malta, the wing has redefined the visitor experience at the Cathedral.

Since opening, the Caravaggio Wing has welcomed an estimated 2.3 million visitors annually, with 95% engaging with the Caravaggio section and visitors spending an average of 45 minutes in the experience — demonstrating a level of engagement far beyond a traditional cathedral visit. The wing also supports more than 50,000 learners each year through dedicated educational programmes. The Museums + Heritage Awards are organised annually by Altair Media Ltd and celebrate excellence and innovation across the international museum, gallery, and heritage sectors. This year’s winners were selected by an independent panel of nine highly respected judges from a record-breaking number of global entries.

Tonio Mallia, Chief Executive Officer of St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, said:

“Winning the Museums + Heritage Award is an extraordinary moment for St John’s Co-Cathedral and for Malta. From the beginning, the vision behind the Caravaggio Wing was to create an experience that would bring one of the world’s greatest masterpieces to life in a way that is emotionally powerful, intellectually engaging, and accessible to all. To receive this recognition on an international stage is a tremendous honour and a testament to the passion, creativity, and dedication of our entire team.”

The award was presented during a ceremony held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Hilton on Park Lane in London.

The Caravaggio Wing was funded through Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014–2020, ‘Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges’. The project was part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, with a co-financing rate of 80% from the European Union and 20% from St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation.

Photograph credits: Hayley Bray

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A central highlight of the seminar is the keynote address by internationally recognised museologist Dr Caroline Wilson-Barnao, whose work has significantly shaped contemporary thinking on museums in the digital age. A leading voice in global museum studies, her research examines the implications of digital and participatory media for museum practice. She is the author of Museums as Platforms (2022) and co-author of Collecting Social Media: From Object to Content (2025), with widely cited contributions on digitisation, platform logics, personalisation, and algorithmic cultural recommendation. Formerly Director of Museum Studies at the University of Queensland, she continues to play an active role in international research communities, contributing to initiatives such as the CPRA Australia Board and critical heritage and digital culture networks.

The seminar will also feature a series of panel discussions and workshops led by a diverse line-up of local and international speakers. Among the contributors is Dr Sandro Debono, a Malta-based academic and museum advisor, and executive board member of the Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO), where he leads the Think Tank for Museum Futures. International perspectives will be further enriched by Dr Annalisa Banzi, an art historian from the University of Milan whose research focuses on the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and visitor experience in museums.

The programme also includes contributions from John Mallia, Simone Spiteri and Alex Zammit. Mallia is a highly experienced trainer who has been active since 1998 and specialises in motivational training for personal development, communication, and workplace effectiveness across a wide range of public and private sector organisations. Spiteri, an award-winning playwright and founder of theatre company Dù, brings a strong narrative and performative dimension, with works staged internationally and recognised by national awards, including the National Book Prize for Drama. Zammit’s interdisciplinary work bridges theology, psychology, art, and cultural engagement, focusing on how art functions as both a reflection of culture and a vehicle for meaning.

The seminar offers a unique platform for dialogue across disciplines, inviting participants to consider how storytelling can shape more meaningful, inclusive, and future-oriented cultural experiences.

Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided.

Buy Your Ticket

Programme

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The Co-Cathedral will be closed on Friday 1st May due to a public holiday.

On Saturday 2nd May & Saturday 16th May, the Co-Cathedral will open later than usual, welcoming visitors from 12:30pm.

On Thursday 7th May, the Co-Cathedral will be open from 10:30AM.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you.

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While Caravaggio’s masterpieces will be unavailable on these dates, St John’s Co-Cathedral still has a wealth of art, history, and heritage waiting to be explored.

If you have booked your tickets online, please note that your ticket remains valid for 7 days from your originally scheduled visit date, giving you plenty of flexibility to plan an alternative visit.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Oratory and Caravaggio Wing from the 9th of April.

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This year’s Holy Week program offers a rich opportunity to enter more deeply into these mysteries, beginning with the solemn remembrance of Our Lady of Sorrows and culminating in the joy of Easter Sunday. Each celebration, from the blessing of palms to the Easter Vigil, is carefully prepared to help us pause from our daily routines and reconnect with what truly matters.

Whether you plan to attend every liturgy or simply join for a few key moments, this schedule is here to guide you through a week of reflection, devotion, and hope. Let it be an invitation to slow down, to be present, and to experience the beauty and depth of Holy Week together.

Holy Week Programme 2026

Day of Our Lady of Sorrows – 27 March
8:30am / Mass
5:00pm / Mass

Eve of Palm Sunday – 28 March
8:30am / Mass
5:45pm / Mass & Blessing of Olive Branches

Palm Sunday – 29 March
7:45am / Mass
8:30am / Office (Liturgy of the Hours)
9:30am / Pontifical Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna & Blessing of Palm and Olive Branches
11:30am / Mass
5:45pm / Mass in English

Between 30 March and 1 April
8:30am / Mass & Reflection on the Easter Triduum

Holy Thursday – 2 April
9:00am / Mass celebrated by the Archbishop & Blessing and consecration of the oils used in the Holy Sacraments

6:00pm / Mass commemorating the institution of the Eucharist and Holy Orders. Followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose. The Co-Cathedral remains open for visits to the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00pm

Good Friday – 3 April
9:30am / Office led by the Archbishop in front of the Altar of Repose. The Co-Cathedral remains open until 11:30am

3:30pm / Commemoration of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Holy Saturday – 4 April
9:30am / Office in the Oratory dedicated to the Beheading of St John

8:00pm / Easter Vigil & Blessing of fire and water, chanting of the Exultet, and baptisms of adults

Easter Sunday – 5 April
7:45am / Mass
8:30am / Office
9:30am / Pontifical Mass led by the Archbishop
11:30am / Mass
5:45pm / Mass in English

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The evening takes its title — Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra — from the poem “Mestiza” by Myriam Montoya, in its Maltese translation by Simone Galea, published in xtaqt li kont merkurju (Inizjamed, 2022). It echoes the spirit of an evening where poetry will resound across eight chapels in as many languages.

The event will take the form of two poetical tours through the Co-Cathedral’s side chapels, each dedicated to a different language of the Knights of the Order of St John and each carrying its own distinct language and literary tradition. Moving through the chapels of Castile, León and Portugal; Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre; Auvergne; Anglo-Bavaria; Provence; France; Germany; and Italy, the audience will experience poetic texts in the respective languages. In each case, translations in Maltese and/or English will also be provided.

The first poetical tour begins at 7.30pm, led by Maria Christina Zammit, and the second tour (identical to the first) commences at 8.30pm, led by Jeremy Grech. Each tour promises an intimate and immersive journey through language, history, and art.

The evening is being curated by Inizjamed and Inizjamed’s team under the artistic direction of Leanne Ellul, with the script woven together by Leanne Ellul and Jake Buttigieg and the authors’ writings. A cast of readers from diverse backgrounds will bring to life works by Astrid Alben (tr. Antoine Cassar), Clare Azzopardi (tr. Martina Reinecke), Samantha Barendson (tr. Gioele Galea, Dom Gabrielli), Lilia Ben Romdhane (tr. Immanuel Mifsud), Keith Borg (tr. Maria Frendo), Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Priscilla Cassar), Alphonse Daudet (tr. Joe Pulè), Miquel Desclot (tr. Pierre J. Mejlak), Marc Delouze (tr. Nadia Mifsud), Leanne Ellul (tr. Virginia Monteforte), Claudia Gauci (tr. Giuseppe Goffredo), Elizabeth Grech, Adrian Grima (tr. Rui Cóias), Nadia Mifsud, Dun Karm Psaila (tr. Ġużè Delia), and San Ġwann tas-Salib (tr. Ġorġ Peresso).

The readers for the evening are: Simone Azzopardi, Kit Azzopardi, Jean Paul Borg, Kurt Borg, Jake Buttigieg, Leanne Ellul, Claudia Gauci, Marilyn Mallia, Patricia Micallef, Immanuel Mifsud, Justine Somerville, Klara Vassallo, Maxine Tanti, and others.

This collaboration reflects St John’s Co-Cathedral’s ongoing commitment to art and culture, and its openness to poetry as a living presence within its historic walls. Inizjamed’s participation, meanwhile, draws on the organisation’s long-standing dedication to translation — both into Maltese and from Maltese into other languages.

The event is open to everyone against a donation of €10. Tickets can be obtained from here.

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Inħoll l-Ilsna u l-Ilsna Oħra

📅 It-Tlieta 17 ta’ Marzu
🕰  7:30pm & 8:30pm

Ftit jiem biss qabel il-Jum Dinji tal-Poeżija, il-Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann u Inizjamed se jingħaqdu flimkien għal serata ta’ poeżija b’differenza. Imraħ matul it-tmien kappelli fil-Konkatidral – u hekk ukoll permezz tal-lingwi. Bis-saħħa tal-lingwi storiċi tal-Kavallieri tal-Ordni ta’ San Ġwann, il-poeżija se tinstema’ bl-Ispanjol, il-Franċiż, il-Ġermaniż, it-Taljan, l-Ingliż, u iżjed, tradotta bil-Malti u/jew l-Ingliż. Is-serata se tieħu s-sura ta’ mixja poetika li se ssir darbtejn:

• 7:30pm – immexxija minn Maria Christina Zammit

• 8:30pm – immexxija minn Jeremy Grech

B’kurazzjoni ta’ Inizjamed u direzzjoni artistika ta’ Leanne Ellul, din l-esperjenza immersiva se tqarreb lejn xulxin fi djalogu vuċijiet kontemporanji u klassiċi fl-isfond ta’ ġawhra aristiku u arkitettoniku tal-Barokk.

🎟️ Donazzjoni ta’ €10

BILJETTI MINN HAWN

ECCE HOMO An Evening of Spiritual Reflection and Sacred Music

📅 Thursday 26th March, 2026
🕰  7:30pm

The Co-Cathedral also hosts a moving evening dedicated to reflection on justice, truth, and human frailty within the Passion narrative.

Under the direction of Mro Christopher Muscat, the programme will be interpreted by:

The Jubilate Deo Choir, Cappella Gregoriana Jubilate Deo, Pueri Cantores Jubilate Deo with Mr Ronald Camilleri presiding at the organ.

The musical programme features masterworks by: Tomás Luis de Victoria, Felice Anerio, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and Gregorio Allegri.

This sacred repertoire, performed within the Co-Cathedral’s extraordinary acoustics, promises an atmosphere of profound contemplation and spiritual depth.

🎟️ Tickets are available against a €10 donation, with proceeds in aid of the Archbishop’s Charity Fund.

TICKETS FROM HERE

Valletta Resounds: The Caravaggio Experience

📅 Ongoing performances
🕰  Various Times

Breaking national records for the most performances staged within a historical site, Valletta Resounds: The Caravaggio Experience by Udjenza returns for a new run of shows at St John’s Co-Cathedral.

Held in the Oratory, this site-specific performance elegantly weaves together The Beheading of St John the Baptist by Caravaggio with theatrical storytelling and timeless classical music.

Under the musical direction of Jacob Portelli, critically acclaimed Maltese musicians bring to life the works of Baroque masters such as George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, alongside sacred Maltese compositions by Francesco Azzopardi and others.

The music is performed by some of Malta’s most esteemed sopranos — Dorothy Bezzina, Hannah Tong, and Dorothy Baldacchino — and beautifully accompanied on Baroque harp, Baroque violin, Baroque cello, and psaltery.

This auditory delight is seamlessly interwoven with captivating tales of the Oratory, narrated by the regal character of Fra Bartolomeo, portrayed by Jeremy Grech.

🕰 The 40-minute concert begins at 18:30, with access to the Cathedral from 18:00 through the main door on St John Street.

An unforgettable encounter with art, music, and storytelling — set before one of the greatest masterpieces of the Baroque era.

TICKETS FROM HERE

We look forward to welcoming you to St John’s Co-Cathedral for these memorable evenings.

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