Culture
Caravaggio’s masterpiece in Malta: A tale of pride and redemption with a disastrous end
St John's Co-Cathedral curator reveals the story behind the painting.

Sarah Micallef

Malta’s capital city is brimming with history and cultural attractions, and while you’ll need more than a day to discover its many sites, there is one you just can’t miss: St John’s Co-Cathedral. And within the impressive church which stands imposingly in St John’s Square are countless priceless treasures – among them, the masterpiece that is Caravaggio’s ‘The Martyrdom of St John the Baptist’.

The Co-Cathedral

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“The church was once the conventual headquarters of the Order of the Knights of Malta,” explains curator Cynthia de Giorgio, revealing that they built the church on one of the highest points in the city, and, as intended, it is impressive from the outside, but even more so on the inside. 

“Throughout the 17th century, the interior was transformed into a glowing gem, embellished with gilded walls and precious marbles by the zealous knights to honour God with splendor,” the curator says, evoking an artistic style called Baroque, which started in Rome in around 1600.

The jewel in its crown

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In 1608, French Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt summoned Caravaggio to Malta, and, pressing for his knighthood to keep him here, commissioned him to paint the altarpiece for the Oratory. “Caravaggio probably thought to himself that this was going to be the greatest work he had ever painted,” Cynthia reveals, explaining that Caravaggio is best known for his realism, yet the Martyrdom scene possesses “a refined theatrical element” that is far from realistic, making it seem like the opening scene of a performance.

‘The Martyrdom of St John the Baptist’ was probably Caravaggio’s passaggio – the gift a knight presented to the Order upon being admitted as a member. Upon its reveal, the Oratory was a plain room and the enormous painting filled the wall with tremendous impact. 

Poignant depiction of human suffering

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The curator describes Caravaggio’s painting as both gruesome and fatalistic, attributing his gloomy period in Milan and the violence he experienced in Rome with fueling his stark realism, and leading the artist to represent the agonising human experience of death by beheading with clarity. 

“St John’s martyrdom is one of the artist’s most sensitive and yet unsympathetic interpretations of a man brutally executed. There is no indication of salvation or reward for the saint’s martyrdom. There are no halos or angels holding palm fronds for St John as a symbol of his martyrdom. There is no divine intervention and no sign of redemption. It is the hopelessness of the event that makes this work a poignant depiction of human suffering,” she says.

A rare signature

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From the blood gushing out of the Baptist’s throat, Caravaggio writes his name – something which the artist isn’t known for doing. “What caused Caravaggio to sign the painting seems to lie in his need to verify his knighthood,” Cynthia says, explaining that the artist’s only qualifying virtue for joining an Order of blue bloods was on merit of his art.

“His signature affirms his new status as a brother in one of the most powerful Orders,” the curator continues, meaning that from then on, Caravaggio could not only carry a sword, but walk through the streets of Valletta with feelings of pride and vindication. Sadly, it was not to last.

A disastrous end

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Cynthia tells of how, on the night of 18th August 1608 in Valletta, possibly only a few days after he signed the painting, Caravaggio got involved in a fight, where a senior knight was seriously wounded, leading to his arrest. “His subsequent escape from Fort St Angelo, where he was imprisoned, had a disastrous outcome, whereby he was defrocked and expelled from the Order,” she explains, and to add insult to injury, the ceremony was held in the Oratory, right in front of the ‘Martyrdom of St John the Baptist’! 

Caravaggio’s The Matrydom of St John the Baptist is on display within the Oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, which will be open to the public from 15th July. Prepare for your visit!

14th July 2020



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