Lecture on tombstones at St John's Co-Cathedral

The first lecture in the spring cycle by Din l-Art Helwa will be by Dane Munro on the tombstones at St John's Co-Cathedral, in Valletta.

Visually the memorials emit many messages, and the untrained eye is unable at first hand to discover the many layers of perception offered by the marble intaglios and features on the memorials.

Emphasis will lie on those characteristics that preserve the collective memory and knowledge of the Order of St John. This illustrated presentation will permit the audience to gain a better understanding of the use of symbols and heraldry together with the conservation of this unique legacy of funerary art.

Mr Munro studied history and classics at the University of Malta. He is currently a Ph.D candidate at the State University of Groningen, The Netherlands, specialising in funerary art.

The lecture will be held next Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Judge Caruana Curran Hall at 133 Melita Street, Valletta, headquarters of Din l-Art Helwa. Those intending to participate are asked to be seated by 5.45 p.m.