Cappella ardente at St John's

My article on the cappella ardente of St John's Co-Cathedral (The Sunday Times, April 10) was only meant to increase awareness of this important example of national heritage which is not being looked after. It was not meant to be an academic discussion of who wrote or did what about the creator of this baroque masterpiece, Romano Carapecchia.

I certainly did not propose, as Professor Denis De Lucca stated (April 17), the re-erection of this funerary chapel for Pope John Paul II but stated that up to a few years ago it was normal for this chapel to be erected whenever a Grand Master or Pope passed away. I did write that the chapel was commissioned by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena but it was always used whenever a Pope died.

It is well known that Professor De Lucca has for years researched Carapecchia. Others have added to this research, and we still need more research.

In my article I stated that historians had ignored Carapecchia until a breakthrough 1939 article by Vincenzo Bonello (Dr Giovanni Bonello's father) in which he spoke about the Cappella Ardente and its importance for the study of baroque architecture in Malta. My modest 1998 thesis on Carapecchia started off with the importance of this article. In his 1999 book on Carapecchia De Lucca states that this article had also inspired him to do his research.

I wish to avoid opening a discussion with my former tutor but I must state that I disagree with his interpretation of design 91 in the Courtauld album. What he wrote on April 17 was stated in his latest book but he does not give documentary evidence to prove this. He states that this was a joint project with Matteo de Rossi (presumably he means Mattia de Rossi) as a catafalque for Pope Alexander VIII. He may be right but I have not seen documentary evidence to prove this, not even in Alan Braham and Helmut Hager's book which he quotes in his article.

I still think that this was another proposal for the Valletta cappella ardente but also I have no documentary evidence beyond the fact that this is to be found in Carapecchia's designs that are in the Courtauld album.

I agree with Professor De Lucca that a place should be found in the cathedral itself for its re-erection but there is no place available beyond creating a new building in the cemetery area, which is not recommendable.

There are other proposals which I, on behalf of the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, have discussed with the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation and also with Heritage Malta.

What is important is not who did what and when but that we as a country ensure that this unique masterpiece, and I repeat that it is absolutely unique, be conserved as an important piece of national heritage.