St John’s Co-Cathedral Valletta: Visitor Guide and Tickets

6 min read · Published: July 25, 2023 · Updated: October 29, 2026 · Prices and details checked: October 2026

St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta is open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:45, costs 15 EUR for adults and is closed on Sundays. Behind a plain stone front hides one of the most richly decorated church interiors in Europe, with a floor of inlaid marble tombstones and two paintings by Caravaggio. This guide covers what you pay, what to wear, what to look at and how to avoid the common mistakes.

Table of contents

1. How much does it cost and when is it open?
2. What should you wear?
3. What does the outside look like?
4. What is inside the cathedral?
5. Where is the Caravaggio painting, and is it worth the queue?
6. Where are the Grand Masters buried?
7. How long should you plan, and what else is nearby?
8. FAQ

How much does it cost and when is it open?

Adults pay 15 EUR. Students and seniors pay 12 EUR, and children under 12 enter for free when accompanied by an adult. The Belfry Tour, which takes you up into the bell tower, is a 5 EUR supplement.

The cathedral opens Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:45. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays, because it remains a working church. The official website gives slightly different times for the last admission (16:00 on one page, 16:15 on another), so do not arrive at the end of the afternoon. Mid morning or after 14:00 is usually calmer than the middle of the day, when tour groups arrive together.

Check the official site at stjohnscocathedral.com before you go, since the cathedral can close for services and events.

What should you wear?

Dress as you would for any church. Cover your shoulders and knees, and bring a scarf or light cover-up if you are visiting in summer, when most people walk around in shorts and vests. Stilettos and other narrow heels are not allowed, because they damage the marble floor.

This is a practical rule as much as a courtesy. The floor is made of memorial slabs, and the building is still used for worship. If you are travelling in July or August, plan your clothes before you reach the door instead of hoping to sort it out at the entrance.

What does the outside look like?

The exterior is plain and almost fortress like, with two bell towers and a simple façade facing St John’s Square. It was designed for a military religious order, not for show, and nothing outside prepares you for the interior.

The church was built for the Order of St John in the 1570s to designs by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. It was given the status of co-cathedral in 1816, which is why it carries that name today. Take a minute in the square before you go in, because the contrast between the sober outside and the gilded inside is part of the experience.

What is inside the cathedral?

The first thing most people notice is the floor, which is covered with hundreds of inlaid marble tombstones of knights. Each slab shows coats of arms, skulls, banners and allegories in coloured stone. Please walk on the marked route and read the slabs slowly: this is one of the few places where you look down first and up second.

Then look up. The barrel vault is painted with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist by Mattia Preti, a Calabrian artist and knight who worked on the church in the 17th century. The walls and the pillars are carved with gilded ornament so densely that there is hardly a plain surface in the nave.

Along both sides of the nave you find chapels, one for each of the langues, the national groups into which the knights were divided. Each langue decorated its own chapel with altarpieces, sculpture and the tombs of its members, so you can compare the styles of Italy, France, Spain and Germany within a few metres of each other.

Where is the Caravaggio painting, and is it worth the queue?

“The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” hangs in the Oratory, a side room off the nave, and yes, it is worth seeing. It is the largest painting Caravaggio ever made and the only one he signed, painted while he was living in Malta as a member of the Order.

Nearby in the Oratory hangs his “Saint Jerome Writing”. Both pictures are lit in a quiet room, and the dark background and tight focus on the figures are what make them different from the gold of the nave. Give them a few minutes without a camera in your hand. If the room is crowded, visit the chapels first and return to the Oratory later.

Where are the Grand Masters buried?

Below the church is a crypt that contains the tombs of several Grand Masters, among them Jean de Valette, who led the defence of Malta in the Great Siege of 1565 and founded the city that carries his name. Other Grand Masters are commemorated by monuments inside the chapels above.

You do not need to know the history of the Order to enjoy the visit, but the names on the tombs make more sense after a short read about the Great Siege. The Order itself ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798. For the wider story of the city, see our guide to Valletta.

How long should you plan, and what else is nearby?

Plan about an hour inside, longer if you add the Belfry Tour or read the information panels. The cathedral is in the centre of Valletta, so it fits easily into a morning before lunch.

The Grand Master’s Palace is a short walk away and covers the political side of the Order, with its state rooms and armoury. We describe it in the guide to the Grandmaster’s Palace. Combining the two on the same day works well, but do not squeeze in a third indoor sight, because the interior of the cathedral takes more concentration than it first seems.

FAQ

If you want to see Valletta on foot and then return to a comfortable base, our own holiday apartments in Sliema and St. Julian’s are a short ferry or bus ride from the city: see the holiday apartments in Malta.

Image credits: Mike Nahlii, Unsplash; Pixabay / db_oblikovanje; Pixabay / Experiances