10/4/24: Introducing Valetta, Malta!

After an all-too-brief two weeks exploring glorious Sicily from end to end, Steven and I jetted to Valletta, described as the "Lilliputian capital" of Malta, as it was built by the Order of the Knights of St. John on a peninsula that was only 1km by 600m! We grabbed a Bolt, Malta's version of Uber, for the 30-minute drive halfway across the island to pick up a rental car in Bugibba for our week's stay on Malta, as car rental agencies in the capital wouldn't rent cars to someone of Steven's age - ahem!

When Valletta was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, it was described as "one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world." In the 16th century, Europe's first planned city was built in a mere five years on a barren limestone ridge because the Knights' Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Vallette feared an attack by the Turks. He pronounced that the city should be "built by gentlemen for gentlemen." It was evident that Valletta still preserved an air of 16th-century elegance and was deserving of its status as the European Capital of Culture in 2018.

Christ the King Monument:

The tiny Mediterranean island is home to only 400,000 Maltese, the same number as in Australia, and 150,000 foreigners. 

Tritons' Fountain in front of the City Gate: 

The newly designed gate echoed the dimensions of the original 1663 entrance, so passersby felt they were crossing a real bridge and could see the ditch and fortifications raised around the city's perimeter. The gate, designed by Renzo Piano, who also created the Shard in London, was framed by a pair of 25m-high metal blades designed to look like knights' sabers.

The gently sloping steps inside the gate were inspired by the stairs that framed the original gate. On the right was Parliament House whose sand-colored stone helped it to blend in with the old battlements. 

The Auberge de Castille, constructed in 1530 to house the Knights, is now the Office of the President.

The colonnaded Upper Barrakka Gardens, perched high above Grand Harbour, were created in the late 16th century on part of the bastions, which were guarded by the Italian Knights. The area was a relaxing haven for the knights and a shady retreat from the city's hustle and bustle. In the 19th century, it was transformed into a lovely garden adorned with fountains and monuments. 

Valletta is a popular stopover for many cruise ships, much to the dismay of many locals as the tiny city becomes inundated with daytrippers. 

Views from the Gardens of the magnificent Grand Harbour: 

On the Gardens' lower terrace was the Saluting Battery, where a cannon once saluted visiting naval ships. At noon, we had a front-row view as a cannon from the restored battery was fired with great pomp and circumstance. Two cannons were armed with gunpowder in case the first failed to fire. 

The first cannon performed as everyone hoped!

The Roman Catholic Church of St Catherine of Italy was built by the Hospitaller Langue of Italy in 1576. A langue was a division based on nationality. Originally part of the Auberge d'Italie and serving the Italian knights, the church now serves as the parish church of the Italian community in Malta.

Across from St. Catherine's was the Church of Our Lady of Victory, the first building erected in Valletta. It was located where the city's first stone was laid in March 1566. The church commemorated the victory of the 1565 Great Siege of Malta when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island held by the Knights Hospitaller.

The statue in front of the church was of Jean de la Vallette, 1495-1568, a member of the Langue of Provence of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and its 48th Grand Master. He led the Order and the Maltese against the Ottomans during the Great Siege and ordered the construction of the city, which was named in his honor. 

A church docent remarked that the church, built by de la Vallette, was newly remodeled, as the ceiling had been completely black. The ceiling frescoes had been painted directly on limestone rock. 

On another corner, a sign proclaimed that Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in the Palazzo Parisio "for seven eventful days in the history of Malta from June 12th to 18th, 1798."

Because of time constraints, we only admired the exterior of MUŻA, the country's National Community Art Museum, which displayed works of art from the 15th to the early 21st century.

Any new visitor to Valletta will be struck by the city's colorful gallarjii, or enclosed balconies, which resemble those found in Arab countries. These balconies were designed to catch and trap cooling breezes. As you'll notice in upcoming posts, the convention was to have matching-colored balconies and front doors. The vibrant hues were a delightful contrast to the sand hues of virtually all buildings in Malta.

For some gorgeous shots of Valletta's enclosed balconies, I highly recommend you look at https://gallivance.net/2025/01/17/the-matchy-matchy-balconies-of-malta-bringing-the-outside-inside/

A few blocks away was the elegant baroque Palazzo Castellania, built in 1760 to replace a palace dating to 1574. It housed the city's law courts until 1895, when it became the Department of Health. The figures above the balcony represented Justice and Truth.

On a narrow and stepped, jam-packed street was the Parish Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck, founded in 1571 but with a 19th-century facade. When St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta in AD 60, he brought Christianity to the people. We tried twice to enter the 16th-century interior to view a dazzling gilded statue of the saint carved in Rome in the 1650s, but the church remained closed. On his feast day, each February 10th, the statue is carried shoulder-high through the city's streets. 

I wondered if the streets were always so packed or whether it was because of the cruise ships in port. 

Jewelry lovers would love window shopping in Valletta!

The grand classical National Library was the last edifice erected by the Knights.

Nearby was the simple entrance to St. John's Co-Cathedral, billed as Malta's most impressive church. Designed by Gerolamo Cassar, the church was built between 1573 and 1578 and replaced the Church of St. Lawrence in nearby Vittoriosa as the place where the Knights gathered for communal worship. By a papal decree of 1816, St. John's was raised to a status equal to St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina in western Malta, the Archbishop of Malta's official seat - hence, the name 'co-cathedral.'

As there was a longish line to enter the cathedral, I scoped out nearby sites while Steven held our spots. 

The Great Siege Monument commemorated the Siege's victims. The figures represented Faith, Valor, and Civilization. 

In front of the monument were flowers and candles that were a tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia, a 53-year-old investigative journalist assassinated by a car bomb in October 2017. Her work focused on financial and political corruption in Malta. I read that Malta is "now dealing with the most corrupt government in living memory... and they are playing a game of kickbacks and backhanders that spans continents."

Across from the cathedral were the Courts of Justice, a courthouse built in the neoclassical style between 1965 and 1971. They were located on the site of Auberge d'Auvergne, which had been destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II. 

The cathedral's entrance:

After the plain facade, the exuberant interior was an astounding surprise. Rich ornamentation and 24-karat gold on every wall, pillar, and ceiling reminded us of the magnificent cathedral in Monreale, Sicily, which we'd recently visited.

Please don't forget that clicking on any picture enlarges and enhances the view. The churches were just spectacular.

The cathedral's history, works of art, and baroque splendor were closely associated with "aspects of chivalry and military valor, all displayed within a context of religious ardor."

The floors were like a patchwork quilt of marble tombs - little wonder that stilettos weren't permitted!

The first chapel belonged to the Langue of Germany and was dedicated to the Epiphany. The painting on the elaborate altarpiece was the Adoration of the Magi.

On the walls were emblems of double-headed eagles.

The central inlaid tablet on the floor honored Fra Franz Sigismund von Thun, whose bravery as a Captain General and his service as an Order ambassador to England brought great honor to his fellow Knights. 

The Chapel of the Langue of Castille, Leon, and Portugal was dedicated to St. James. 

The sumptuous Chapel of Aragon made the previous chapels look simple by comparison! 

The chapel's tabernacle door:

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament once contained an icon of the Virgin brought from the island of Rhodes, the Order's original home before Napoleon expelled the Knights.

Other shots of the Cathedral:

The Sacristy had an elegant coffered barrel vault. Its flags, from the Royal Malta Regiment, were from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Chapel of the Langue of Provence was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel whose image was celebrated in the altarpiece. 

We were fortunate that the Chapel's Grand Masters' Crypt was open as it was usually closed. We had plenty of time to read the long list of rules as the crypt was limited to just four people at a time. 

The crypt contained the first dozen Grand Masters, including Jean de la Vallette. 

Perhaps the cathedral's piece de resistance was the Oratory, built as an unadorned building in 1603 for novices. It was later redecorated by Italian artist Mattia Preti, whose paintings also embellished other chapels. Caravaggio's The Beheading of St. John the Baptist painting was enormous at 5.2m by 3.7m. It was an early 17th-century representation of biblical martyrdom, but no angels bore the saint to heaven.

Click on the painting to make it bigger so you can clearly see John's executioner leaning over him, ready to finish the job. Look at the jailer pointing to a plate possibly held by Salome or a servant girl. In the background, two prisoners watch through a window grille, perhaps wondering if they will soon suffer the same fate. Caravaggio's work was said to remind the novices who sat before it about what martyrdom was really like as they signed up as 'holy warriors.'

The painting must have had an added poignancy for the artist, as Caravaggio had fled Rome with a bounty on his head. Literally, a reward was payable to anyone in the Papal States who delivered his severed head!

The Oratory was also home to another Caravaggio masterpiece, St. Jerome Writing. The saint, AD 347-420, is depicted sitting at the edge of his bed in what might be a monk's cell, with a stone and crucifix placed nearby representing penance and meditation. The only light comes from the left-hand side, signifying a spiritual presence. 

The Cathedral was undeniably beautiful and stunning and contained valuable works of art. However, I didn't find it a place of serenity and calm where I would want to worship regularly.

Next post: Valletta's 'grand' Grand Master's Palace later that day!

Posted on February 19th, 2025, from chilly Denver, where an arctic blast and foggy skies have made us almost forget our brief Miami and Mexico escape just days ago! Please make sure to take care of yourself and your loved ones during these tumultuous times.