In the new Caravaggio Wing, the second painting by Caravaggio, St Jerome Writing, will be given the greater space which it merits, allowing you to appreciate and enjoy in a separate space. Just as it once graced the walls of Fra’ Ippolito Malaspina’s palazzo, before he donated it to the Chapel of Italy at his death in 1624, it will now be seen on the walls of the Caravaggio Wing. Further in, you can watch ‘Meet Caravaggio’: a short docu-drama on the life of the artist in Malta between July 1607 and October 1608, first as a novice then as a knight of the Order and his dramatic escape from imprisonment in Fort St Angelo.

You will then be able to step upstairs to the piano nobile which until recently housed the magnificent Gobelins tapestries and other treasures of the former conventual church. There, you will encounter Caravaggio’s paintings ‘face-to-face’ via state-of-the-art projections. This will bring you up close to digitally enlarged details of the Beheading of St John the Baptist and St Jerome, showing the artist’s brushwork, his modelling of the human figure, as well as his use of highlights in creating the chiaroscuro effect.

Meanwhile, the Foundation is concurrently working on the new museum planned to house the recently conserved Gobelins Tapestries. It will soon be opening its doors to visitors, thus joining the Oratory and the new Caravaggio Wing.

One of the oldest houses in Valletta was that of the Grand Prior of the Conventual church of St John, which was built together with the Oratory of the church, in 1605, where St John Street meets Merchants Street.

Its proximity to the holiest building of the religious and military Order of St John gave status to the most important Hospitaller after the Grand Master. In fact, it was more of a seat of authority than merely a grand residence, as the palazzo also included a library with liturgical books as well as an archive of parochial registers, and records of Masses said for different Foundations and charities, besides other documents.

Equally significant, but less well known, was that the Prior’s house had an inner doorway which led directly into the Oratory by a few steps. The Spaniard Pedro Camarasa was the first Grand Prior who could walk privately into the chapel to contemplate the striking altar-painting that has intrigued and marvelled viewers ever since 1608, when Caravaggio signed off his largest ever painting, The Beheading of the Baptist of St John. The Prior’s house underwent several changes as it was adapted to many secular uses, including a St Joseph’s School for Girls on the piano nobile, the textile shop Camilleri Paris Mode on the Merchants Street side, and Bank of Valletta on the St John Street side. Its old spaces were lost as internal walls fell and its upper floor was bombed during WWII. Indeed, next to nothing is left by which to recognise its original purpose as a Baroque residence.

The full turn of the circle came in the summer of 2019 when the historic doorway was re-opened, reuniting the former palazzo with the Oratory. The St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation succeeded in acquiring the premises and converted it into a new extension to the Oratory of the Decollato.

The Grand Masters’ Crypt is a subterranean chamber beneath the high altar of St John’s Co-Cathedral, which was created during the construction of the church in the late sixteenth century. It contains the remains of the first eleven Grand Masters who headed the Order between 1522 and 1623. Amongst them are Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L’Isle Adam (1521-1534), who brought the Order to Malta in 1530, and Grand Master Jean de Valette, the hero of the Great Siege and who was also responsible for the building of Valletta. Here also lies Grand Master Jean L’Evesque de La Cassière who ordered the church to be constructed.

The conservation and restoration project, started in 2007, was focused on the preservation of the precious frescoes cycle painted by Niccoló Nasoni in the 1720s and the carved stone sarcophagi which were suffering from a heavy deterioration phenomenon due to the adverse condition found in the chamber. Throughout the years the frescoes in the crypt were affected by gradual detachments and salt efflorescence as well as discolouration. The limestone sarcophagi of the Grand Masters had suffered extensive damage from powdering and biological growth caused by rising damp and fluctuating temperature and humidity levels.

The restoration was carried out by the Courtauld Institute of London which specialises in the conservation and restoration of wall paintings.

The project commenced with assessing the state condition of the crypt and a monitoring study of the internal and external environment. Diagnostic investigations and scientific analysis were aimed to identify the causes of deterioration and thus establish the treatments and the scope of the intervention.

The restoration method was focused on the conservation of the limestone and the decorative surfaces keeping in mind the general criteria of minimal intervention, reversibility, and compatibility to preserve the original materials and their significance. All the materials used for the treatments were tested in advance whilst taking into consideration the characteristics of the original materials and technique. In this regard, attention was taken to minimise the use of consolidants that would create a hard layer on the surface of the tombstones. The nano-lime dispersion in alcohol was chosen as the best consolidant due to its physical and chemical compatibility.

All surfaces were cleaned to remove salt efflorescence and dirt deposits whilst the areas affected by a microbiological attack were treated accordingly. Missing parts were integrated with restoration techniques and micro-losses of painting were retouched with watercolours. The stability of the environment was important to achieve long term conservation of the treatment carried out, especially of the consolidation of the stone surfaces since environmental fluctuation would cause salt-related deterioration.

In collaboration with the team of architects and engineers engaged by the Foundation, the challenging environmental control system was designed and installed. It consists of a custom-made unit which includes heating, cooling, humidification, and dehumidification equipment which can reduce the fluctuation of Temperature and Relative Humidity within a specific range established by the conservators after scientific and technical analysis of soluble salts.

Nowadays the gradual stabilization of the inner microclimate allows conservators to monitor and plan the ordinary maintenance programme and thus guarantee the longevity of the crypt.

In January 2020, The Grand Master’s Crypt was opened again for the public, with access behind a glass door to help preserve the Crypt for future generations.

The project consists of the restoration of circa 3,750 m² of masonry façades, including the façades forming the lunette, oval windows, and abutment levels; the receded back façade; and the façades overlooking St John Street, Republic Street, and Great Siege Square. The works include the restoration of the hard stone flooring in the main parvis, as well as the rehabilitation and reinstallation of the metal gates.

The restoration works mainly consist of the cleaning and removal of any plasters, cement, or deffun layers; the repointing of these façades; localised stone changing using large stone units, such as vażi and rombli; the recreation of decorative moulding; plastic repair; and localised consolidation. The cleaning process shall commence with simple methods, such as brushing, and then move on to more aggressive techniques until the required level of cleanliness is acquired. Sample tests shall be carried out before the cleaning procedure is started to identify the parameters required to achieve the desired result. A good photographic record before, during, and after the operations, as well as frequent supervision, will be essential.

The architect in charge is Architect Gaston Camilleri of TBA periti.

The ambitious conservation and restoration project comprises of:

• The exquisite Venetian-style carved and gilt wooden soffit encompassing three large paintings on canvas depicting Christ’s Crowning with Thorns, Ecce Homo and the Raising of the Cross.

• The gilded stone carvings of the arch and the vault in the apse and the mural paintings executed following the oil on stone technique, represent scenes of the Agony in the Garden and Christ Tied to the Pillar.

• The two paintings in the lower area of the apse, were executed in oil on canvas. They represent the first two rectors of the Order: The Blessed Raymond and Gerard Kneeling before the Lamb of God and St Flora and Donna Sancha before the Virgin Mary.

• The series of eight oil paintings portraying individual Saints and heroes of the Order: St Ubaldesca, St Nicasius Martyr, St Hugh of Genoa, The Blessed Gerard, and the Miracle of the Loaves, The Blessed Gerard Tending to the Sick, The Blessed Gerland of Germany, The Blessed Gerard Meccatti and St Toscana and interventions will be implemented on their respective frames.

• The ten large windows with decorative frames and the trompe-l’oeil.

The artistic techniques, state of deterioration and composition of the artefacts make this restorative intervention an exciting project to embark on.

The Oratory has currently become a dynamic hub of interdisciplinary collaboration, with our specialist conservators teaming up with local experts with the objective of ensuring the preservation of this important site for the benefit of both current and future generations.

The construction of the Oratory began in 1602 following the orders of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt. The Confraternita della Misericordia contributed to its construction. The Oratory was completed in 1605 and it was intended to serve as a place of devotion and meditation for young novices. It was also used by the confraternity for their functions and investitures of the Knights. The painting of the Beheading of St John the Baptist by Caravaggio was installed in the Oratory on the feast of the Beheading on the 29th of August 1608.

In the 1680s, Mattia Preti embarked on a major embellishment programme for the Oratory between 1678 and the 1690s, sponsored by Fra Stefano Lomellini. The adorned marble cladding was executed in 1740.

We have been studying this project for several years to showcase its collections in the best way. These include, amongst others:

• Twenty-nine Flemish Tapestries
• The Sacred Vestments
• The Silver Collection
• The Illuminated Manuscripts
• The Cappella Ardente

The approved enhancement will make maximum and intelligent use of present vacant spaces including the Bartolott Crypt and underground passages. It will also house the Flemish tapestries series together in one hall which is presently dispersed in several rooms. Appropriate lighting, climate control and didactic displays will also be introduced.

The new and spacious entrance to St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum will provide comfortable facilities for visitors and easy accessibility for people with different abilities. The extension will have no direct impact on the church, designed in such a way that will allow flexible opening hours of the museum. Thus, priceless collections will be exhibited as well as conserved for future generations to appreciate.

The New Museum will enhance the cultural equity of Valletta. It will also strengthen the notion of cultural tourism and it will therefore contribute to the islands’ credentials as a multi-faceted destination with a strong cultural presence.