The Building

The great structure was designed by the maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar (1520-c.1586).He was in his 50's and had ,it has been speculated ,travelled abroad. He was able to take responsibility for much of the earlier building work which characterises Valletta. Cassar was not only a trained military enginier , but he had also sevioured the latest roman trends of palatial architecture .this made him eminently siutably to take on the task of planning and designing the principle auberges and palazzi.

He built the Grand Master's Palace , seven Auberges ,The Sacra infermeria , the Order's Bakery and Verdala Castle and more . It is evident that Cassar had seen some of Michelangelos Architectural works probabely including plans and models there are great similarities between the facade of st john's and the proposed facade of St Lorenzo in Florence . Also ,aspects of the interior

of the Medici chaples in the same city match up well with st john's exterior .This was obserbed in recent years by a maltese architect and historian the late leonard mahony . He wrote ;Cassar's knolage of the exact measures of mechelangelo's works is probabely deu to Laparelli who was Michelangelo's trusted assistant on the fabric of St. Peter's in Rome .

Images of St Johns Co Cathedral