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Following the high turn-out at her lecture held last June, Cynthia de Giorgio, curator of St John’s Co-Cathedral, will again be delivering a lecture on the meaning and interpretation of some of the symbols found at St John’s Co-Cathedral. The talk is organised by the International Institute for Baroque Studies at the University of Malta, in conjunction with the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation on 14th October 2015.

Drawing on her research, Cynthia de Giorgio will illustrate the use of symbols by the Knights of St John that embellish the church. During the Baroque period symbols were profusely used to physical express the Knights’ ambitions and devotions. The Knights had a mission, that of defending the Christian faith.  Their frequent, bold and decorative use of symbols was one way they would ensure they communicated that they were soldiers of Christ leaving their stamp for many generations to come. They made use of symbols in the wide range of visual arts they themselves encouraged in order to achieve this aim.  

Today we are still able to study a rich legacy of symbolic forms especially in sculpture and paintings. In their enthusiasm to record their glories and achievements in an everlasting manner the Knights left behind a unique artistic patrimony.  Beyond their aesthetic appearance, every symbol had a function and a message, either to inform, instruct or even simply to impress. 

For the Knights of St John, a religious Order using symbols played a vital role because this was the best medium to array their devotion and triumph. Eventually, St John’s became the shrine of the Knights’ symbolic legacy. The ability to understand these symbols has diminished with the passage of time and many of these expressions today may go unnoticed or even misinterpreted. 

In the lecture Cynthia de Giorgio will explain the expressive power of exploring the meaning and content, and how a fascinating light can be shed on the values, beliefs and aspirations of the people who created them. Both Faith and triumph are eloquently pronounced by the images of saints and heroes that line the cornice on the vault, whilst some of the symbols such as olive branches as symbol of peace and laurel wreaths as a symbols of triumph, are abundantly displayed throughout the church. Courage is symbolised by lions and wild beasts. The marble inlaid tombstones that line the floor at St John’s are a compendium of death symbolism ranging from a large variety of skeletons accompanied by both the angel of fame and father time. The frequent appearance of the angel of fame is a unifying symbol together with gilded foliage and weapons.