MALTA, DAY 3: DAPHNE GALIZIA MEMORIAL AND VALLETTA'S CO-CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN

 March 20, 2024

On our last day in Malta, our first stop was at a makeshift tribute to Daphne Galizia. Before the trip I had read the book A Death in Malta by her son Paul Galizia, so I was excited to see the monument. 

Daphne Galizia was an outspoken investigative journalist and activist who spoke out about financial and political corruption in the Maltese government and other places. She was also known for her investigative reporting on the Panama Papers, which exposed international financial graft, fraud, and tax evasion involving many prominent figures worldwide, including many Maltese officials.

Galizia was extremely popular and respected. Her blog attracted over 400,000 views, more than the combined circulation of all the country's newspapers. Tragically, her popularity got her killed. In October 2017, Galizia was killed by a car bomb just a few meters from her home. She was 53 years old.

This memorial to her is placed around the base of the Great Siege of 1565 Monument, a bronze created in 1927 by Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino to honor the successful resistance of the Maltese Knights when the island was invaded by the Ottoman Empire. The three figures represent the virtues of Faith, Civilization, and Valor--appropriate virtues to relate to Daphne Galizia.

One corner of the memorial included photos of Alexei Navalny, a Russian who similarly fought corruption in his own government and who died while in a Russian prison, presumably at the hands of his captors.

In my previous post I mentioned that St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral of Mdina was one of two "granddaddies" of all the cathedrals in Malta. The other one is St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

I think St. John's is the GREAT-Granddaddy cathedral. It's definitely the most lavish cathedral in Malta.

This modern entrance, with its bas relief of John's decapitated head above the door, belies the luxury and wealth within.

The cathedral was built between 1573 and 1578, shortly after the Great Siege of 1565, to which the statue at the beginning of this post pays homage. It was originally simply decorated, but in in the 1660s, Nicolas Cotoner, the Grand Master of the Knights, decided it wasn't quite "enough," so he had it redecorated in the Baroque style to rival Rome's cathedrals.

Looking towards the main altar

Over time, St. John's Cathedral became as prominent as the St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral in Mdina,  the seat of the archdiocese (the aforementioned cathedral that I discussed in my last post), and so the Bishop of Malta was allowed to use it as an alternative to St. Paul's--thus the designation "Co-cathedral."

The main altar is over-the-top extravagance, from its twin gold organs to the rush of crowded movement in the paintings . . . 

. . . to the royal purple and gold canopy over the altar . . .

. . . to the magnificent marble statue of St. John baptizing Jesus, which is behind the altar.

Then there are the gilded and painted barrel ceilings:

Even the transept has the same florid design.

Not a bad place to stand if you are preaching:

We were doing a LOT of this:

The Chapel of the Langue of Italy is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and to St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of the Italian Knights. I was intrigued by the small painting of the Madonna and Child just below the candles.

I thought it might be a reproduction of Czestochowa's Black Madonna, but it is just a dark icon.

Every part of this cathedral is exquisite.

Julia took us downstairs to see the crypt. She said many of the Maltese Knights and many (or all?) of the Grand Masters are buried here. I think they believed that although you can't take it with you, you can still show it off after you die. 

Similar to what we had seen at the St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral the previous day, the floor of St. John's is covered with inlaid marble grave memorials/tombstones/markers that everyone just walked on. 

And while I'm on the topic of modesty and humility, check out the Chapel of Aragon, which bears the tomb of Nicolas Cotoner, one of the Grand Masters of the Maltese Knights. He was largely responsible for redecorating this cathedral, so I guess it's only fair that his chapel is the most spectacular one in the church.  Not that his golden bust is borne on the backs of a Chinaman and an African.

And here is the brother of Nicholas, Rafael Cotoner, who was also a Grand Master (but only for three years before he died). Apparently he didn't merit quite the glory his brother did, although I must say I am impressed by the skull-decorated urn beneath his black marble bust.

This is the funerary monument for Gregorio Carafa, the Grand Master of the order of St. John from 1680-1690. He commanded seven Maltese ships in the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1656, which was won by the Venetian-Maltese coalition, and came home a hero.

I don't know who this fellow is, but his chapel marble sculpture of mother and babe and mother and angel (but is that angel carrying an axe?).

Never mind that just below their feet is this happy scene. Death is never very far away in this cathedral.

Finally, here is the magnificent bronze monument marking the tomb of Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari, who died in 1722. He was the nephew of Pope Alexander VII, so maybe that makes him extra important.

Julia pointed out a few cute cherubs, but then she directed our attention to the what she said is the ugliest cherub she's ever seen. That's him on the right. Even the skull behind is cringing.

There are faces everywhere--smiling, scowling, staring.

Julia had a special treat for us, a visit to the Oratory, which in a cathedral is usually a small chapel used for private worship.  In St. John's Co-Cathedral, it is a a medium-sized chapel that is exhibit space for about a half-dozen paintings by the Italian artist Caravaggio, who lived from 1571 to 1610. He lived and worked in Malta  from 1607-1608 and was actually inducted into the Knights of Malta, although he was later expelled from the Order "as a foul and rotten member."

While living in Malta, he completed his largest work ever, Beheading of St. John the Baptist. This is also the only painting the Caravaggio actually signed. This powerful painting is 12' 1" x 17' 1" and fills the entire wall where it hangs.

Here is the view from the entrance to the chapel. It dominates the room.

Another famous Caravaggio painting from his time in Malta that is on display in the Oratory is St. Jerome Writing, 

It's always a good idea to look up in Maltese cathedrals (actually, in any cathedral). They do love their ceilings.

That was the final stop of our tour of Malta. I think Julia saved the best for last.  No, wait. We found another strawberry stand on our way to the car, which was taking us to the airport. The strawberries were the best way to end our visit!

We passed a mobile dental unit in the main plaza . . . 

. . . and met our driver near the Tritons' Fountain, designed and constructed between 1952 and 1959. 

We said our good-byes to Julia (whose last name I never wrote down), one of the best guides we have had. We loved everything about her--what she chose for us to see, her recommendations, her extensive knowledge, her fun sense of humor--everything. I think we were her last tour before she headed off to a new life in Ireland. I would love to reconnect with her.

Our next stop was Tunisia, and we were flying TunisAir, a new airline for us.

Farewell, Malta! What a great place to visit!

READING

Paul Galizia remembers hearing the explosion of the car bomb that killed his 53-year-old mother Daphne and her scream as she pulled her car out of the driveway of their home in Malta. This book is his recounting of the events that led up to her assassination in 2017. As a fearless journalist, Daphne wrote frequently and unsparingly about the corruption in the picturesque Mediterranean nation of Malta, a member of the EU and a travel destination for many. She reported on not only corruption in the government, but also about organized crime, Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme, money laundering, and other controversial and damning issues. She was a whistleblower at the highest levels, and it cost her her life. At times I got bogged down in the details of her story; there were so many names I was completely unfamiliar with. However, the power of a single voice comes through loud and clear, and I came away with enormous respect for Daphne Galizia and for those who carried on her work after her death--including her husband and sons.