The news that Italy will be undertaking the complete restoration of the Chapel of Italy is most welcome. This is the second great gift of Italy to the churches of Valletta after the restoration of that of Santa Caterina d'Italia. Both the church and the chapel were the official houses of worship of the knights of the Langue of Italy.

The Order of St John was divided into eight Langues (languages): Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, England, Allemagne (Germany), Aragon and Castille. The Langue of England was suppressed by Henry VIII. It was revived under George III together with that of Bavaria - the Anglo-Bavarian Langue. Its auberge is known as the Auberge de Bavière.

Every Langue had its own auberge (inn). These were intended not only as a residence for the Brethren, as the knights were officially recognised, who were not provided with a commandery, but also to accommodate pilgrims and strangers of distinction.

Besides, each Langue had its own chapel in the Conventual Church of St John in Valletta.

Chapels in St John's

The fourth to be allocated in order of seniority, was that of St Catherine. It was assigned to the Langue of Italy. The paintings adorning it are all masterpieces. Mattia Preti painted the altarpiece, dedicated to St Catherine, and the two paintings in the lunettes at the side of the chapel. Caravaggio's St Jerome was originally commissioned to be hung in this chapel.

The gilding of the sculpture in this chapel finishes about a man's height from the floor. The same is observed all over the walls in the nave, the chapels and the passages between the chapels. This cries out loud for restoration.

Complete restoration being undertaken by Italy complements and indeed completes the restoration project of the church dedicated to St Catherine, facing the church of Our Lady of Victories, the first building in the new city of Valletta.

¤ The Chapel of St Michael was assigned to the senior Langue, that of Provence; the walls and ceiling are covered with gilded sculpture. The coat of arms of Grand Master Jean l'Eveque de La Cassiere, founder of the Conventual Church of St John, is painted on the chapel's cupola.

The painting on the altar is a copy of the original by Guido Reni.

Each Langue was obliged to adorn its chapel at its own expense. The rulers of the country of the Langue expected their knights to prove their loyalty to their country and the Order by being munificent in the adornment.

There are two monuments, one to Grand Master Antoine de Paule and the other to Jean Paul Lascaris de Castellar.

¤ The Chapel of St Sebastian of the Langue of Auvergne lies between those of the Madonna of Philermos and of St George.

The passage to this chapel is adorned with magnificent gilded carving as are all the passages of all the chapels. Noticeable are the varieties of design of the sculpture and of the effacement of the gilding some six feet from the ground.

The walls of this chapel are truly grandiose. There is one monument, that of Grand Master Clermont de Gessan. It is in marbles of different colours.

Most of the silver utensils used in this chapel were confiscated by Napoleon.

¤ The Chapel of St Paul was dedicated by La Cassiere to the conversion of the Apostle of the Gentiles. The Grand Master was honouring the veneration of St Paul as the Father of the Maltese.

The fleur de lys in the carving design in the passage leading from the chapel of St Catherine to that of France is very significant. The letter 'L' for Louis, King of France, is very conspicuous in the sculpture all over the walls of the chapel.

The titular painting of St Paul thrown from his horse on his way to Damascus is by Preti. Two paintings of the shipwreck and of the apostle's beheading in Rome are by the German Lukas Kilan. The two monuments are of Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt and of Emanuel de Rohan Polduc. They are distinguished by their very simplicity.

¤ The Chapel of St George of the Langue of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre lies between the altar leading to the cemetery and the Chapel of St Sebastian. The domed ceiling of this chapel is a copy of that of the Chapel of Italy.

Grand Master de Redin paid for the sculpture and gilding in this chapel. The altar is of specially fine marble. There are many coats of arms of Grand Masters carved and painted on the walls.

¤ The Chapel of the Epiphany of the Langue of Allemagne lies between the door of the Chapel of Auvergne and the door of the Sacristy. The paintings are by Stefano Erardi. The two passages leading to the chapel are adorned with many remarkable carvings. There is the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Langue. There are two coloured and gilded coats of arms in the ceiling of the two passages. Conspicuous are the decorations of the cupola dominated by the lion of La Cassiere. The start and finish of the work of art adorning the chapel are recorded by the carving of the coats of arms of Grand Masters Nicolas Cotoner and Gregorio Carafa respectively.

¤ The chapel of the Langue of Castile, Leon and Portugal is dedicated to St James, the Apostle of Spain. The carvings on the side walls of the passage are of a unique design showing a breastplate with the scallop shell of St James upon a castle with the lion and shield of the Langue. The coloured and gilded coat of arms of Grand Master Perellos is the centrepiece on the ceiling. The two walls are beautifully carved having six medallions in low relief.

The paintings are by Preti. There are two elaborate baroque monuments of Antonio Manoel de Vilhena and of Manuel Pinto de Fonseca.

Appeal for restoration

My main thrust is to show the great importance of the architectural and ecclesiastical gem of the Order bequeathed to Malta and to Europe.

The lower part of the walls in the nave, chapels and passages are denuded of gilding reported to have been tarnished by washing with chemicals to prevent the spreading of the plague of which we had several outbreaks in the past. Whatever the reason for the present ugly state of the walls they should be restored.

Now that Malta has moved closer to Europe, perhaps the nations represented in the chapels together with SMOM's national associations could donate to Malta and to the heritage and culture of Europe the gift of restoration of this masterpiece of art, architecture and religion.

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