Divinity in art

Malta’s gem

Our son-in-law highly recommended the church, my husband reminded me. When our hosts as asked our final excursion day in country, I was happy to default to this recommendation. Plus, it was a pretty day with puffy clouds over Valletta.

I grew up in a rather Catholic country with many huge, ornate churches so the pre-visit praise didn’t really sink in. A fair queue awaited patiently in front of an ad how memorial to a prominent journalist assassinated a couple of years ago under still suspicious circumstances in the eyes of many locals. I vaguely remembered the notoriety but nothing more as we stood.

I did wonder how magnificent this place was if touristas facing limited time off their cruise ships chose waiting. But I had no idea really what to expect.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral manifested the height of Renaissance Catholicism in a way that divinity and art became synonymous. I cannot adequately describe so I will let my humble photos explain.

And, as if this were not amazing enough, St. John’s has not one but two original Caravaggio paintings. (No, I did not use a flash for this) The colour of the painting alone was worth it all.

If you ever have the chance, go see this place. Listen carefully to the audio they provide. Yes, it was a time of incredible wealth as the average person lived in profound poverty but the Church built an astonishing work to endure for generations, linking art and the power of Belief.

Come to Malta. It is different from anywhere else as Christianity persevered over northern African cultures yet today’s society appears a blend of openness and relative tolerance. I am positive it is infinitely more complicated than superficial observation makes it seem but too many other cultures are so obviously, overtly, and loudly engaged in nothing but hate. That does not seem the case here.

Thank you for reading Actions Creat Consequences; please restack or circulate it to someone you think would enjoy it. Thank you those of you subscribing with your financial support. I write this for you in hopes of creating civil discourse in a world of too much screaming for my tastes.

Be well and be safe. FIN