St John's Cathedral, also known as St John The Baptist Cathedral and St John's Co-Cathedral, is located in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. If you visit Malta, you should definitely see this cathedral. It is a Co-Cathedral because it shares its name with St Paul's Cathedral in Malta's former capital, Mdina.

The bell tower of the cathedral immediately attracts the attention of visitors. It has 3 clocks that show the day of the week, the time and the date. While the exterior of the cathedral has a simple and plain appearance made of limestone, the interior is full of embroideries and ornaments. The cathedral, which was affected by the bombings in the Second World War, needed some renovation after that date.

The baroque interior, designed by Calabrian artist Mattia Preti, contains tens of thousands of different details. John the Baptist scenes are depicted on the painted vaulted ceiling of the cathedral. The cathedral has a large altar and carved stone walls.

Convicted of murder in Italy and fleeing to the island of Malta, Caravaggio painted two paintings for this cathedral. His painting representing the Decapitation of John the Baptist is displayed in the cathedral. Another Caravaggio signature in the cathedral is the St. Jerome Inscription. There is another painting by Caravaggio on this subject, and that painting is exhibited in the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

The cathedral has an impressive marble floor. Also inside the cathedral are many marble artworks representing the 400 Knights of the Order. Ceilings and walls are filled with gold leaf decorations.

It is forbidden to walk around the cathedral in high heels as it may damage the marbles. You may need more than 2 hours to visit the cathedral to the fullest. The entrance ticket for adults costs €15.