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Il-FONDAZZJONI TAL-KONKATIDRAL TA’ SAN ĠWANN
THE ST JOHN’S CO-CATHEDRAL FOUNDATION

Friday 5 May 2023
04/2023

PRESS RELEASE

Exhibition Launch of St John's Co-Cathedral Tapestries -
Commemorating a 16-Year Project of Conservation and Restoration
On Friday 5 May 2023, The St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation launched ‘A Gift of Glory’ - the
exhibition of the St John's Co-Cathedral Tapestries, a gift of Grand Master Ramon Perellos. This
exhibition marks the culmination of a 16-year project of conservation and restoration, ensuring
that these magnificent tapestries will be preserved for future generations.
The set of tapestries was commissioned by the Grand Master of the Knights of St John, Frà
Ramon Perellos y Roccafull, between 1697 and 1702. These magnificent tapestries display
episodes from the Life of Christ and the Triumph of the Catholic Church. The set was sent to
Belgium since 2006 and restored by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit Laboratories where the
project was finalised in 2022. The majority of the tapestries measure 6.2 x 6.5m making this set
of 750m2 the largest antique set in the world.
The President of the Foundation, Mgr. Prof. Emmanuel Agius, in his welcome address remarked
that this restoration and conservation project, which has cost 1.3 million euro paid for by the St
John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, has given a new life to this extraordinary Baroque temple which
is now transformed into a unique celebration of faith, art and culture. He commented that we can
now truly savour what the Conventual Church of the Knights would have looked like throughout
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The President expressed his gratitude towards all the
Foundation's employees for their continuous enthusiasm, relentless commitment and unwavering
dedication to St John’s Co-Cathedral which during the last few weeks was a veritable hive of
collective effort in the meticulous process of tapestry hanging.
Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna showed his appreciation for this initiative and mentioned how the
cooperation between the state and the Church bears great fruit. He invited the Foundation, that
while it works on preservation, it does not forget that in its hands it has a temple of a living
community that celebrates the Eucharist in a lively way. He added: "Here we are celebrating a
glory that was given in the past, but it is not a glory of the past, it is a glory that has a future and
it is ours."

TRIQ SAN ĠWANN, VALLETTA VLT 1156, MALTA
TEL: <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PHONE_NUMBER> |EMAIL: info@stjohnscocathedral.com

The Minister for National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that these
tapestries, with their intricate designs and rich colours, are a true "Gift of Glory" as they represent
the pinnacle of artistic and cultural achievement, serving as a reminder of the power of art and
culture to inspire, uplift, and transform. Minister Bonnici emphasised the exhibition's touristic and
cultural significance for Europe as a whole, inviting the Maltese public to visit and appreciate the
tapestries' beauty.
The exhibition will run till 24 June, while on Sunday 7 May it will open for free for the public from
15:00 hrs till 20:00 hrs to experience the cultural and historical value of the tapestries first-hand.
During the Exhibition Launch, an agreement was signed between The St John’s Co-Cathedral
Foundation and the Alfred Mizzi Foundation which has generously donated €250,000 for the
embellishment of the Tapestries Hall in the New Museum where the set of twenty-nine tapestries
will be exhibited in the coming years.
The St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation is grateful to everyone who contributed to the project's
success and invites visitors to experience the beauty and splendour of this unique set of
tapestries. For more information, please contact the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation at
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PHONE_NUMBER> or visit www.stjohnscocathedral.com.