St. John's Co-Cathedral Oratory, Valletta
About the Organ
Organ built by Sicilian organbuilder La Valle from Palermo in 1579 and originally located in St. John's Co-Cathedral main church. It was later transferred to the Oratory. During the years its state of conservation deteriorated and prior to the recent restoration by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padova (Italy), the organ was not only unplayable but all of its metal pipes were missing except for the facade pipes which were also significantly affected by 'tin pest'. Ruffatti restored all the surviving parts and reconstructed the missing parts in the style of the original instrument.
History
The Oratory was built between 1602 and 1605 as a place of devotion for the young novices. The reigning Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt was looking for an artist to embellish the conventual church and to produce a painting for the young novices to meditate on. This is how the Oratory became the home of one of the greatest paintings by the renowned artist Caravaggio The Beheading of St John the Baptist who was the patron saint of the Order. Another of Caravaggio’s masterpieces ‘St Jerome Writing’ is also exhibited in the Oratory. At first the Oratory was a plain rectangular construction but this was transformed by Mattia Preti in the 1680s when he was commissioned its redecoration which included the installation of the beautiful altar contributed by Grand Master Carafa.
The redecoration of the Oratory included the heavily gilt carvings of the vault and arch in the apse as well as the wooden Venetian-style gilt soffit in which three painted scenes from Christ’s Passion were inserted. The lower panels in the vault area depict two of the founders of the Order while paintings of eight other saints can be seen along the laterals of the Oratory. Other notable works of art in the Oratory are the fine bronze tondo by Ciro Ferri affixed to the front of the altar, the marble head of St John the Baptist presented on an elaborate gilt scallop shell on the epistle side of the altar and a rare 16th century organ.
The redecoration of the Oratory included the heavily gilt carvings of the vault and arch in the apse as well as the wooden Venetian-style gilt soffit in which three painted scenes from Christ’s Passion were inserted. The lower panels in the vault area depict two of the founders of the Order while paintings of eight other saints can be seen along the laterals of the Oratory. Other notable works of art in the Oratory are the fine bronze tondo by Ciro Ferri affixed to the front of the altar, the marble head of St John the Baptist presented on an elaborate gilt scallop shell on the epistle side of the altar and a rare 16th century organ.