Malte

+ demonstrative PiPs The Romanesque co-cathedral of St John (Baptist) of Valletta was built between 1573 and 1577 by the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem to the designs of the Maltese military architect Ġlormu Cassar. The exterior of the cathedral is built in the typical mannerist style of its architect Girolamo Cassar (PiP #1). The portal is flanked by Doric columns supporting an open balcony from which the Grand Master used to address the people on important occasions. The extremely & wonderfully ornate interior (PiPs #2 to 7) was extensively decorated by Mattia Preti, a Calabrian artist and knight, at the height of the Baroque period. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of John the Baptist. It can be seen that the artist skilfully created an illusion of three-dimensionality through his use of shadows and placement. The Maltese limestone, which gives its colour to the façade of the building (as to much of the city's historic buildings) in which the cathedral is built, lends itself particularly well to such complex sculpture. The floor of the church, which is made entirely of marble, consists of cenotaphs depicting 405 knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. The church has eight chapels, each representing a hospitable language. Many renowned craftsmen contributed to the splendour of the interior decoration. The painting "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist" (1608 - PiP #8) by Caravaggio (1571-1610) is the most famous work in the church. One of the painter's masterpieces, the largest canvas he painted and one of the few he signed. The painting is displayed in the Oratory for which it was painted. Restored in the late 1990s in Florence, the painting is one of the most impressive uses of Caravaggio's chiaroscuro style. Wikipedia.fr/.en Johannes Passion, JS Bach, by N. Harnoncourt, Concentus musicus Wien www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwY3STY0eD8