V
alletta has now become a
shopping mecca. You can
find all the best labels
and brands a few metres
away from each other,
making it a must for
anyone looking for some retail therapy.
The brightly-lit shop windows line the
pedestrianized main streets at eyelevel; however there is much more to
be seen than just what meets the eye.
The National Museum of Archaeology
is just a few metres down from City
Gate, compressed between modern
retail outlets. This building had been
the Auberge de Province in the time of
the Knights, and it is a fine example
of Baroque architecture built in 1571.
Here you can see the world-renowned
‘Mara l-Ħoxna’ statue (which translates
to the Fat Lady), of which many
representations were found scattered
throughout the various Neolithic
Temples in Malta. This statue is thought
to have been a symbol for the fertility
cult abounding on the island at that
time. There are many more curiosities
to find out in this Museum, which is
worth a visit.
Another masterpiece in Baroque
architecture and in the art of the City
itself is the Co-Cathedral of St John,
situated a few metres down from the
Museum of Archaeology then to the
right. This striking monument was
commissioned in 1572 by the Grand
Master La Vallette himself, as a convent
church for the Order. This structure
holds many treasures in its’ many
12
chapels, the most famous of w hich being
Caravaggio’s painting ‘The Beheading
of St John the Baptist’. Mattia Preti
had also been commissioned to work
on the interior of the Cathedral, mainly
in his depictions of the life of St John.
The Cathedral ground is a work of art in
itself, where hundreds of marble tombs
line the floor creating a patchwork of
artwork which you can literally step on.
Some renovation works were carried
out on the Co-Cathedral to preserve its
beauty and splendour; however it has
retained the same façade it had when it
was redesigned in the 17th Century to
keep up with the Baroque times.