Visitors to Co-Cathedral

It seems that Ms Joan Zammit Cutajar's visit to St John's Co-Cathedral occurred during one of the busiest months of the year at the cathedral (The Sunday Times, December 3).

Although waiting may be inconvenient, one must appreciate the great harm caused by fast-rising temperatures and relative humidity levels caused by aspiration and body heat as well as the damage that may be caused by abrasion to the tombstones and the delicate wall carvings when large crowds enter the co-cathedral at the same time.

The passages between the chapels are narrow; they were designed for only single individuals passing through. Tourists often come in large groups causing congestion in the church which was not designed to have such large numbers of roaming visitors. Hence, entry needs to be staggered even for conservation reasons.

Ms Zammit Cutajar mentions "the large holes in the wall" near Mattia Preti's tombstone. This is not the result of present restoration works but the impact of damage that had been caused as a result of past interventions.

The church is over 400 years old and it is extremely difficult to account for everything that has taken place during this period. The dado, as this part of the building is called, suffers from damage caused by damp which was made worse when, over the years, it was covered with several layers of oil-based paint accelerating the capillerisation action and damage to the wall carvings. The removal of the paint revealed hacking into the stone carried out at some earlier stage.

I invite Ms Zammit Cutajar to visit the co-cathedral again and I will personally give her a more detailed explanation on site. The St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation gives the appropriate professional attention that this unique world treasure deserves.