St John’s Co-Cathedral, in Valletta has rarely looked as grandiose and opulent as it does in the most recent publication featuring the conventual church of the Order of the Knights Hospitallers.
The Great Temple is the title of the latest book in the Miranda 360° series, a packed volume completely dedicated to depicting, portraying and uncovering the many facets and qualities of the domeless Valletta church built by Gerolamo Cassar.
Already the 14th in the series, the coffee-table publication has changed in format.
The book, which took over a year to compile and complete, is a painstaking visual documentary of St John’s, revealed in its entirety ever since the completion of its extensive restoration.
The publication records all possible aspects of the cathedral including the main nave, the chapels, the sacristy, the oratory and the rich collections of tapestries, vestments and other religious artefacts found in the adjacent museum.
Completely photographed by quasi resident photographer Enrico Formica, one of the books’ vistas includes an uninterrupted sweep of Mattia Preti’s frescoed vaulted ceiling depicting episodes from the life of the Baptist.
Other breathtaking 360° views include those of the chapels, the sacristy and the oratory.
The text and research was written and carried out by St John’s Cathedral’s Museum curator Cynthia de Giorgio.
In festive fashion, the publication also includes a CD with a collection of European sacred hymns and motets in Maltese, English, Portuguese, Italian, German and French sung by the Collegium Musicum Choir (the resident choir of St John’s Co-Cathedral).
Although the publication has only been on the shelves of bookshops for a few weeks, publisher Eddie Aquilina’s project agenda is full and brimming. Come February/March, he said, the second volume in the chapels series would be launched, with the third volume expected later in the year.
Mr Aquilina also mentioned the re-making of Gozo 360°, which will contain fresh-from-the-oven researched text and visuals.
An Underground Vol. III is also in the pipeline, which should include the documentation of some 30 new sites.