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📍 The Oratory, St John's Co-Cathedral

The Caravaggio Experience

Baroque music and storytelling beneath the Caravaggio

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Venue
The Oratory, St John's Co-Cathedral
Doors
18:00
Starts
18:30
Duration
40 min
Age
12+
Language
English
Tickets
from €28

Held at the Oratory inside the historic St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta Resounds elegantly strings together Caravaggio’s masterpiece with theatrical storytelling and timeless classical music.

Critically acclaimed Maltese musicians are at the helm of this site-specific performance, bringing to life the works of Baroque Masters such as Handel and Bach alongside the sound of sacred Maltese music by composer Francesco Azzopardi and more. Sung to perfection by some of Malta’s most esteemed sopranos, the music is beautifully rendered on Baroque Harp, Baroque Violin, Baroque Cello and Psaltery.

This auditory delight is woven harmoniously with tales of the Oratory, narrated by the ever-charming and regal character of Fra Bartolomeo.

The 40-minute performance starts at 18:30, with exclusive access to the Cathedral from 18:00. Entry is via the main door on St John Street.

Live music · No long queues · Limited seating · Unique lighting installation on the Caravaggio masterpiece

Please note: artists perform on different dates and the programme may be subject to slight changes. The performance and the tour are both in English. Performance times may vary on specific dates.

Tickets

Choose your evening

Compare tickets for The Caravaggio Experience

Performance

€28

per person

Performance + Cathedral Guided Tour

€56

per person

17:45

X

Professional guided tour (45 mins in duration)

18:00

Cathedral access

Cathedral access

18:30

The performance

The performance

Seating

Free seating

Front-row reserved seating

€28
€56

The €56 ticket

The Cathedral tour

At 17:45, before the doors open for the performance, a guide takes tour guests through St John’s Co-Cathedral itself: the nave, the chapels of the eight langues, the marble floor of nearly 400 knights’ tombs, and the two Caravaggios.

You walk into the Oratory with the room already explained to you, which is a different experience of the performance than arriving cold.

Tour guests have reserved seating. The tour and the performance are both in English. Run by VIP Tours Malta.

Compare both tickets
The gilded nave of St John's Co-Cathedral, its vaulted ceiling painted end to end.

The venue

The Oratory, St John's Co-Cathedral

Triq San Ġwann, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1156

Entry is via the main door on St John Street.

The conventual church built by the Order of the Knights of St John was completed in 1577, soon after the Great Siege, and dedicated to St John the Baptist. Its architect was the Order’s own military engineer, Gironimo Cassar, and the austere façade, buttressed by two bell towers topped with octagonal spires, reflects the sombre mood of an Order that had just survived a siege.

Inside, that austerity gives way entirely. Over the following centuries every Grand Master and a great many knights enriched the church with the best work of the leading artists of the day, transforming a plain Mannerist interior into one of the most extraordinary rooms in Europe. The Oratory and the sacristy were added in 1604.

Caravaggio arrived in Malta in July 1607, having fled Rome under sentence of death for killing a man in a brawl. He was received into the Order as a Knight of Obedience in July 1608, and while on the island painted The Beheading of St John the Baptist and St Jerome Writing, both still in the Co-Cathedral today. Within weeks of his investiture he was in trouble again, imprisoned at Fort St Angelo, and escaped the island before his trial. On 1 December 1608, in this Oratory, standing in front of The Beheading, he was expelled from the Order “like a rotten and fetid limb.”

The painting has never left the room it was made for. It is the only work Caravaggio ever signed.

What people say

Reviews

4.80★ from 235 reviews on GetYourGuide.

  • “Probably the most worthy touristic experience I have ever attended”

    Visitor review

Gallery

The Caravaggio Experience

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Before you book

Good to know

Worth two minutes before you book. A couple of these decide whether you get in on the night.

  • No high heels are allowed inside the Cathedral.
  • Shoulders must always be covered when entering the Cathedral.
  • Seats marked as reserved for the Cathedral Tour are not available to general admission ticket holders. Anyone found sitting in these reserved seats may be asked to either move or pay the difference in ticket price.
  • The Oratory will be opened at 18:00 for the performance, unless the time of performance is changed for specific dates.
Is there a minimum age?
Yes, and it differs by show. The Caravaggio Experience is 12+. Sailors in the City Experience is 18+. It takes place in a licensed bar and includes a complimentary beer. In accordance with Maltese law, visitors under 17 may not purchase or sample alcoholic drinks.
Are the venues wheelchair accessible?
St John's Co-Cathedral is accessible, and the Oratory can be reached without stairs. Sailors' Paradise is not. Access is only possible via stairs, and there is no lift. We're sorry for the limitation; the building is a historic Strait Street bar and cannot be altered. If access is a concern for either show, call us on 7920 3774 before booking and we'll talk it through.
What happens if I arrive late?
For Sailors in the City Experience, entry after the scheduled start is not permitted. The performance is immersive and staged among the audience, so there is no way in once it begins. Late arrivals cannot be admitted and are not entitled to a refund or exchange. Please arrive in good time. For The Caravaggio Experience, the Oratory opens at 18:00 for an 18:30 start.
Is there a dress code?
For The Caravaggio Experience there are two rules set by the Cathedral, and they are enforced at the door: no high heels anywhere inside, and shoulders must be covered on entry. Both protect the building's 17th-century inlaid marble floor and its status as a working church. There is no dress code for Sailors in the City Experience.
How long does it last?
The Caravaggio Experience runs 40 minutes. Book the Cathedral Tour ticket and your evening starts at 17:45 with the guided tour, so allow around an hour and three quarters in total.
What language is the performance in?
Both shows are performed in English, and the Cathedral tour is in English too. Printed programme notes for The Caravaggio Experience are also available at the venue in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish.
How do I find the venue?
The Caravaggio Experience: entry is via the main door of St John's Co-Cathedral on St John Street. Not the Cathedral's daytime visitor entrance. Sailors in the City Experience: 99 Strait Street, look for the Sailors' Paradise sign above the arched doorway. Valletta is pedestrianised; the nearest parking is the MCP car park or Floriana, both about a ten-minute walk.
Is seating allocated?
The Caravaggio Experience: the €28 Performance ticket is free seating, so arriving when the Oratory opens at 18:00 gets you the choice of the room. The €56 Cathedral Tour ticket includes reserved seating for tour guests. Sailors in the City Experience: seating is unallocated and the room is small.

Book The Caravaggio Experience

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