Cool stuff is happening at AP Valletta! The local architectural firm has shared a sneak peek into the new Caravaggio Centre, part of the extension of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum, which is almost ready to be revealed to the public.

“New set of site photos showing the status of works at the new Caravaggio Centre in Valletta! The project, developed in collaboration with the St John’s Foundation, is part of the rehabilitation and extension of one of the most important museums on the island,” AP Valletta share on Facebook.

“Besides restoring and reusing the neglected and underutilised historical spaces annexed to the Cathedral, we designed an extension like a monumental reliquary to house a very precious set of tapestries designed by Peter Paul Rubens. The Caravaggio Centre, which will be the new home of Caravaggio’s ‘St Jerome’, will be open to the public soon.”

Their website gives more insight into the history of the Rubens tapestries, the process of the restoration, and the projected final product.

“The 29 tapestries were hung in the Cathedral every year on the Feast of St John, but centuries of handling, inappropriate storage and harmful lighting and climate conditions had left their toll on these rich but delicate images made from silk and silver and gold thread,” AP Valletta’s website reads. “Today they constitute the only full set of these designs by Rubens in the world and are considered one of the greatest artefacts of the Baroque age.”

The architectural firm was commissioned to design the extension of the current museum at the cathedral along with its rehabilitation. “Besides restoring and reusing the neglected and underutilised historical spaces annexed to the Cathedral (including a 16th century crypt below the oratory that houses the Beheading of St John by Caravaggio and an 18^th century wing designed by Romano Carapecchia), we have designed a monumental stone box to house this precious set of tapestries.” The stone box structure is intentional, “springing from the need to shut out all harmful natural light in the hall,” to protect the tapestries.

Sounds very elaborate, contemporary and timeless, with a lot of work having gone into it. We can’t wait to check it out!