☰St John's Co-Cathedral

Built between 1573 and 1577 during the reign of Grand Master Jean de la Cassière, St John's was the conventual church of the Knights of St John. The exterior is austere limestone, but stepping inside is a shock: every surface is carved, gilded, or painted. Mattia Preti covered the entire barrel vault with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist, and the floor is a mosaic of 400 marble tombstones of knights, each more ornate than the last. The Oratory holds Caravaggio's The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, the largest painting he ever made and the only one he signed.