Context:
was
 humb
ly
 decorat
ed
 but
 Grand
 Master
 Rap
hael
 Cotton
er
 
ordered
 the
 
renovation
 of
 the
 interior
.
 Matti
a
 Pret
i
 the
 artist

 from
 Calab
ria
 Italy
 was
 commission
ed
 to
 em
bell
ish
 the
 interior
 with
 
detailed
 car
ved
 stone
 wall
 designs
 
finished
 with

 gold
 
leaf
 
gildi
ng
 
including
 the
 
painting
 of
 the
 v
ault
ed
 
ceiling
 and
 side
 
altar
s
.
 
They
 de
pict
ing
 the
 
various
 
scenes
 from

 the
 life
 of
 Saint
 John
.
 The
 
Knights
 of
 St
.
 John
 were
 
very
 decisi
ve
 to
 spend
 and
 dedica
te
 
their
 resources
 for
 the
 best

 ornament
als
 for
 the
 c
athedral
.
 Dur
ing
 
1748
,
 Grand
 Master
 Ant
ό
nio
 Mano
el
 de
 Vil
hena
 
built
 new
 ad
join
ing
 
buildings
 to
 

enhance
 the
 requirements
 of
 the
 time
.
 
When
 Sir
 Walter
 Scott
 came
 to
 Malta
 in
 
1831
 he
 said
 that
 the
 c
athedral
 was
 
a
 "
magn

ific
ent
 church
,
 the
 most
 strik
ing
 interior
 ever
 seen
."
 He
 
spent
 three
 
weeks
 in
 Malta
 
during
 
October
 
1831
.
 The
 floor
 of

 the
 co
-
c
athedral
 is
 
covered
 with
 400
 
marble
 car
ved
 tomb
stones
 with
 superb
ly
 in
trica
te
,
 
marble
-
in
laid
 
created
 by
 skill
ed

 
trades
men
,
 tomb
stones
 create
 
a
 
formidable
 
appearance
 to
 the
 large
 floor
s
 around
 all
 the
 church
.
 All
 the
 buri
ed
 k
nights

 are
 son
s
 of
 Europe
'
s
 
noble
 families
 from
 the
 time
 of
 the
 16
th
 to
 the
 18
th
 century
.
 Here
 lies
 the
 master
mind
 
behind
 the

 building
 of
 Vall
etta
,
 his
 name
 was
 Grand
 Master
 Jean
 Paris
ot
 de
 la
 Vall
ette
 
among
 the
 Grand
 Masters
 buri
ed
 
within
 the
 

crypt
.
 St
.
 John
'
s
 Co
-
Cathedral
 
always
 
remain
ed
 the
 central
 
religious
 place
 for
 the
 
Knights
 of
 Malta
 
until
 the
 French

 occup
i
ed
 Malta
 in
 
1798
.
 The
 French
 
ransa
cked
 the
 church
 from
 its
 
very
 rich
 be
long
ings
 
which
 were
 mel
ted
 down
 into
 
coins

 to
 pay
 
their
 
soldier
s
.
 The
 museum
 ad
join
ing
 the
 c
athedral
 contain
 se
veral
 art
 
objects
.
 The
 most
 important
 are
 the
 Fle

mish
 29
 price
less
 tape
s
tries
 
according
 to
 designs
 by
 Peter
 Paul
 
Ruben
s
 at
 the
 Fle
mish
 
atelier
 of
 Jude
cos
 de
 Vos
,
 
famous

 as
 the
 court
 W
eaver
 for
 King
 Louis
 
XIV
.
 
They
 were
 donat
ed
 by
 Aragon
ese
 Grand
 Master
 
Ramon
 Per
ellos
 
y
 
Rocc
a
ful
 in
 
1697
.

 It
 was
 the
 
traditional
 custom
 that
 
when
 
a
 new
ly
 
elected
 Grand
master
 he
 is
 to
 best
ow
 
a
 gift
 or
 
gioi

Input:
 no
d
 to
 21
st
 century
 architecture
 –
 the
 new
 
parliament
 
designed
 by
 the
 
e
minent
 Italian
 architect
 R
enzo
 Piano
.
 The
 

Knights
 of
 St
.
 John
s
 268
 year
 rule
 
very
 much
 
shaped
 Malta
s
 
built
 environment
 with
 miles
 of
 bas
tions
,
 forts
 and
 
palace
s

 
which
 still
 define
 the
 
islands
.
 But
 
once
 inside
 the
 story
 is
 
a
 
very
 different
 one
.
 It
 is
 here
 that
 one
 is
 like
ly
 to
 run

 out
 of
 super
l
atives
 in
 at
tempt
ing
 to
 come
 to
 
describe
 this
 magnific
ent
 building
.
 The
 k
nights
 
certain
ly
 
went
 all
 out
 to

 create
 an
 interior
 
quite
 un
like
 any
 other
 and
 no
 
expens
e
 was
 spare
d
 in
 the
 em
bel
lishment
 of
 
their
 main
 place
 of
 w
orship

.
 The
 c
athedral
s
 
walls
 are
 rich
ly
 car
ved
 and
 the
 monument
s
 to
 the
 
various
 Grand
masters
 fill
 
a
lmost
 every
 available

 space
.
 The
 church
 is
 the
 
proud
 owner
 of
 two
 
painting
s
 by
 Cara
v
aggio
 –
 
including
 his
 
largest
 and
 only
 
signed
 
canvas
 The

 Be
heading
 of
 Saint
 John
,
 commission
ed
 for
 the
 church
s
 Or
atory
 
where
 it
 hang
s
 to
 this
 day
.
 The
 
Knights
 employ
ed
 the

 Calab
rian
 artist
 Matti
a
 Pret
i
 for
 the
 most
 ambiti
ous
 part
 of
 the
 church
s
 déco
r
 –
 the
 magnific
ent
 
cycle
 of
 
ceiling
 

painting
s
 de
pict
ing
 the
 life
 of
 the
 saint
.
 The
 
ren
owned
 Mal
tese
 
sculpt
or
 Mel
chi
or
re
 Gaf
a
 –
 at
 the
 time
 
making
 
a
 name
 for

 him
self
 in
 Rome
 
-
 was
 commission
ed
 for
 the
 
apse
s
 
sculpture
 of
 the
 Baptis
m
 of
 Christ
.
 Sad
ly
 his
 
early
 de
mise
 me
ant
 that

 the
 work
 was
 never
 
completed
 and
 the
 project
 was
 eventu
ally
 en
trust
ed
 to
 Gaf
a
s
 only
 pupi
l
,
 the
 Italian
 
Giuseppe
 Mazz
u

oli
.
 Not
 to
 be
 overl
ooked
 is
 the
 c
athedral
s
 magnific
ent
 floor
 –
 made
 up
 of
 around
 364
 k
nights
 tomb
stones
 in
 in
laid
 

marble
 laid
 one
 next
 to
 the
 other
.
 In
 the
 ad
join
ing
 museum
 one
 find
s
 
a
 fine
 set
 of
 large
 Fle
mish
 tape
s
tries
 
which
 used

 to
 hang
 in
 the
 church
 on
 special
 fe
ast
 days
.
 The
 c
athedral

Targets:
s Idx: 263, Δloglikelihood: 0.000
 small Idx: 6715, Δloglikelihood: -0.809
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: 0.329
crypt Idx: 61291, Δloglikelihood: 1.052
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: -0.131
contains Idx: 35523, Δloglikelihood: 0.028
 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: -0.226
 or Idx: 631, Δloglikelihood: 1.104
nate Idx: 65949, Δloglikelihood: 0.709
 tomb Idx: 82675, Δloglikelihood: 0.769
s Idx: 263, Δloglikelihood: -0.157
 of Idx: 304, Δloglikelihood: -0.089
 some Idx: 2155, Δloglikelihood: 0.396
 of Idx: 304, Δloglikelihood: 0.006
 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: 0.083
 p Idx: 421, Δloglikelihood: -0.174
rominent Idx: 122057, Δloglikelihood: 0.088
 Grand Idx: 3342, Δloglikelihood: 4.761
 Masters Idx: 78043, Δloglikelihood: -0.426
 – Idx: 322, Δloglikelihood: 0.192
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: 0.352
among Idx: 14925, Δloglikelihood: -0.535
 them Idx: 2486, Δloglikelihood: -0.219
 Jean Idx: 8834, Δloglikelihood: 3.707
 Paris Idx: 4586, Δloglikelihood: 9.717
ot Idx: 1460, Δloglikelihood: 2.232
 de Idx: 269, Δloglikelihood: 3.157
 Val Idx: 5130, Δloglikelihood: -0.157
ette Idx: 5765, Δloglikelihood: 3.847
 – Idx: 322, Δloglikelihood: 0.919

 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: -0.289
 found Idx: 5897, Δloglikelihood: 0.171
er Idx: 295, Δloglikelihood: -0.043
 of Idx: 304, Δloglikelihood: 0.002
 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: -0.303
 city Idx: 9416, Δloglikelihood: 1.211
. Idx: 260, Δloglikelihood: 0.357
 No Idx: 653, Δloglikelihood: -0.845
 visit Idx: 5782, Δloglikelihood: 1.159
 to Idx: 288, Δloglikelihood: -0.005
 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: 0.170
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: -1.020
islands Idx: 189663, Δloglikelihood: 0.965
 is Idx: 339, Δloglikelihood: -0.199
 complete Idx: 8593, Δloglikelihood: -0.014
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: 0.005
without Idx: 5767, Δloglikelihood: -0.007
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: -0.149
a Idx: 262, Δloglikelihood: -0.153
 visit Idx: 5782, Δloglikelihood: 0.039
 to Idx: 288, Δloglikelihood: -0.003
 this Idx: 714, Δloglikelihood: 2.317
 magnific Idx: 99107, Δloglikelihood: 0.979
ent Idx: 1401, Δloglikelihood: 0.002
 church Idx: 41094, Δloglikelihood: 0.201
 – Idx: 322, Δloglikelihood: -0.425
 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: -0.547
 ape Idx: 45744, Δloglikelihood: -1.838
x Idx: 329, Δloglikelihood: -0.017
 of Idx: 304, Δloglikelihood: -0.017

 the Idx: 287, Δloglikelihood: -0.235
  Idx: 259, Δloglikelihood: -0.466
Knights Idx: 149895, Δloglikelihood: -0.239
 Idx: 293, Δloglikelihood: 0.158