A new protective carpet suitable for heavy duty foot traffic has been laid on the unique marble inlaid floor of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta by the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation.

The floor consists of a collection of tombstones numbering close to 400, all individually designed in a most splendid array of images. The designs range in artistic style from the late mannerist period, high baroque and even neo-classical period.

All the tombstones, the earliest of which dates to the early 17th century, hold delicate inscriptions commemorating some of the most illustrious Knights of St John.

Foundation curator Cynthia de Giorgio said that the challenge the marble floor is facing today is the ever-increasing influx of visitors to the church.

For several years, visitors have been walking directly over the marble intarsia causing severe abrasion to the fragile carved details.

The protective carpet has been laid along the main passages used by visitors which allows most of the floor to remain exposed for viewing. This carpet is made of a highly resistant coarse vinyl filament having an open web.

Ms de Giorgio said that the carpet's structure was made to trap dust and dirt transported inside the church by visitors' shoes while still allowing the floor surface to breathe.