Foundation intends to preserve and safeguard co-cathedral
The proposed extension of the Museum of St John’s Co-Cathedral is intended to safeguard and protect the fabric and treasures of the co-cathedral and, above all, to preserve and safeguard the co-cathedral itself, said the St John’s Co-Cathedral...
The proposed extension of the Museum of St John’s Co-Cathedral is intended to safeguard and protect the fabric and treasures of the co-cathedral and, above all, to preserve and safeguard the co-cathedral itself, said the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation this afternoon.
In a statement, the foundation stressed that a primary consideration for the proposed project is that it will significantly ease the congestion of visitors within the co-cathedral and hence contribute to the essential conservation of the church.
“The main reason that has led the foundation to propose that the extended museum will be adjacent or below the co-cathedral is in fact the intrinsic and direct link between the extended museum and the preservation of the church itself,” it said.
The foundation continued that, contrary to what has been reported in sections of the media, a motivation behind the project is conservation.
It said that it is important for the public to realise that the number of tourists visiting St John’s Co-Cathedral each year is now exceeding the entire population of Malta and Gozo and that, on peak days, up to 4,000 tourists enter the co-cathedral’s doors.
The foundation said it has the obligation to retain and promote the sacred character of the co-cathedral as primarily a House of God and a place of worship and the proposal should relieve the church of the periodic congestion of visitors.
The foundation is reassuring the public and the media that it would never take any sort of risks that would involve any potential, apparent or real damage to the co-cathedral itself or to any of the historical adjacent buildings or structures.
The foundation continued that it will be engaging the services of leading experts to ensure the preservation of the treasure it were entrusted by state and Church to administer.
It stressed that the preservation of the co-cathedral and its contents – while making them available for the appreciation of as many people as safely possible – is its main priority.