St John's Co-Cathedral, the Knights' church and its two Caravaggios

St John’s plays a trick on you. From the square it looks almost severe, a plain stone front with two bell towers, and inside it’s about as lavish as churches get in the Mediterranean. That contrast is what I enjoy most here, and it has a clear historical reason behind it.

A sober church the Knights covered in gold

The Order of St John completed it in 1577, a few years after the Great Siege, and dedicated it to St John the Baptist. It was designed by the Order’s military engineer and architect, Girolamo Cassar, and the foundation that runs it today puts the austere design down to the sombre mood of the Knights after the siege. It has a broad nave under a barrel vault, and the oratory and sacristy followed in 1604.

What you see now came later. Each Grand Master and many individual knights gave works of art, and a plain Mannerist church turned into a Baroque treasury. I like reading it as a two-hundred-year ledger of vanity and faith. If you want to know who these men were and how they ended up in Malta, it’s set out in the history of the Knights of Malta.

Where the Caravaggios hang, and why the room matters

Caravaggio reached Malta in July 1607 on one of the Order’s ships. On 14 July 1608 Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt made him a knight. During his stay he painted St Jerome Writing and The Beheading of St John the Baptist. Both are still here, in the Oratory.

It ended badly, and fast. In late August 1608 there was a fight in which several knights were wounded; Caravaggio was locked up in Fort St Angelo and escaped. On 1 December 1608, in the Oratory and in front of The Beheading, the Order expelled him “like a rotten and fetid limb”. Standing before that canvas knowing the verdict was delivered in the same room is what lifts this visit above a gallery stop, for me at least.

The Beheading measures 520 by 360 cm. St Jerome, from around 1607, is a much smaller 117 by 157 cm. He also painted a Sleeping Cupid and two portraits while in Malta; the one of Fra’ Antonio Martelli is now at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence and the one of Wignacourt with a page is in the Louvre.

The tombstone floor, Preti’s vault and the crypt

Plenty of people walk in staring at the ceiling and tread straight over what I’d call the building’s other great treasure. The entire floor of the church is covered in inlaid coloured-marble tombstones, from the early 17th to the late 18th century, commemorating knights of the Order, many from Europe’s great aristocratic families. The foundation bills it as the most beautiful floor in the world, and I can see why. Look out for the symbols. A skeleton with a sickle and an hourglass stands for passing time, an angel blowing a trumpet for the dead knight’s fame, and crowns mark out the noblest, each with its Latin epitaph.

The vault is the work of Mattia Preti, a Calabrian painter known as il Cavaliere Calabrese. He came to Malta in 1659, and Grand Master Raphael Cotoner accepted his offer to paint the entire vault with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist, the Order’s patron saint. It earned him the rank of Knight of Grace; he spent most of his life on the island and has been buried here since 1699. Several of the altar paintings are his too.

Then there’s the crypt. VisitMalta notes that it holds the tomb of Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Grand Master who founded the city, a quiet corner far removed from the bustle outside.

Hours, prices and the small print

It opens Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:45, last entry 16:00, and is closed to visitors on Sundays and public holidays, when Mass carries on as normal. Adults pay €15, seniors and students €12, and under 12s get in free with an adult. The audio guide is included, runs to 20 stops and comes in eleven languages. The belfry tour is an extra €5.

One honest caveat. On 1 September 2026 the Co-Cathedral posted a notice about September opening hours that I couldn’t get hold of. The times I give are the ones it published at the end of August, so I’d double-check the day before.

The foundation staggers or caps visitor numbers to protect the tombstones and carvings, which can mean a short queue around midday. Wheelchairs can get in, with some areas off limits.

The visitor rules are worth reading before you leave the hotel. It’s a church, so dress accordingly, and the foundation asks you to bring a shawl to cover up. Stilettos and narrow heels aren’t allowed, since you’re walking on tombstones. You can take as many photos as you like without flash, but filming or recording sound is banned without written permission. There are no lockers, so bring a small bag, and big backpacks have to be carried in your hand or on your front. The foundation suggests setting aside about an hour and three quarters, and a ticket is valid for one entry within seven days of the date you pick.

In the Caravaggio wing there’s a ten-minute docudrama, Meet Caravaggio. With children, or if you haven’t read up on the painter, I’d watch it before stepping into the Oratory. If you know the story already, spend those minutes in front of the paintings instead.

Fitting it into your day

It sits in the middle of Valletta, Malta’s capital, a few steps off Republic Street. I’d make it the first stop at 09:00, then carry on to the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta, which opens at 10:00 in season and is five minutes’ walk away. That puts the Order’s two big sights back to back while you’re fresh.

If you want more Baroque painting afterwards, MUŻA, Malta’s national art museum, has work by Mattia Preti, Ribera and other masters who worked for the Order. If it’s the Knights rather than the art that grabs you, the Palace is the natural next step. Either way, keep the Co-Cathedral for the morning, because it closes to visitors earlier than the Heritage Malta museums around it.