My favourite painting

Caravaggio. The Beheading of St. John the Baptist. 1607-1608. Oil on canvas. Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta, Malta

I have had an abiding interest in visual art since my days studying Architecture. Indeed one of my enduring bittersweet moments was, after I split up with my first true love, coming over to London on my own for my 23rd birthday and being thrilled both by the Dali Exhibition at the Royal Academy and the exhibition on the great architect Edwin Lutyens at the South Bank. Surrounded by beauty and feelings of loneliness exacerbated by the strange feeling of not having a real conversation with anybody for four days. My artistic taste rails against the figurative; I never wanted art to be an undemanding mirror which reflects the world back at you. And my personal instincts are anti-religious; I firmly believe Man created God.

Surprising then that my favourite painting is both figurative and with a religious theme but this is no ordinary painting and is by no ordinary artist and it cannot be seen in any art gallery. It is "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist" and the artist is that genius of light and shade (chiaroscuro) Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. His life was short, turbulent and violent and to see his greatest painting you have to travel to the Island of The Knight’s of St. John, to Malta. There you enter into the walled city of Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is the greatest fortified Medieval City in the world and the spiritual home of The Sovereign Military Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta.




Tomb of Knight Gregory Spinola 1682, Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta

Here is the Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta and you enter into the world of the Knight’s of St. John, an interior of amazing richness and you walk on a hallowed floor of lavish inlaid marble tombstones of Noble Knights who here in 1565 and in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571 defeated the forces of Suleiman the Magnificent and stopped the Mediterranean becoming a Muslim sea and Europe becoming a Muslim Province. To this day in Malta when they celebrate “Victory Day” it is this victory they remember. Afterwards in gratitude Catholic Europe poured money into Malta and the Knight’s built their great city of Valletta opposite the “Three Cities” on the far side of The Grand Harbour which had withstood the siege of Malta.




Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta

So in this hallowed space you then enter the vestry of the Cathedral and there you are stunned to silence by this, Caravaggio’s greatest work in the setting for which it was painted. You stare at this huge painting and you realise the artist’s genius as the painting is mis-titled. For what you are witnessing is not a beheading but the aftermath, when the executioner calmly and callously takes his knife to perform a butcher’s task, the severing of the neck sinews. There is not a religious symbol in sight but what there is like a Joycean text is a picture of mundanity and sparse detail, for the person being so callously butchered in front of the indifferent onlookers is no ordinary, person. For this is the patron after whom the Knight’s Order is named, John the Baptist who in the River Jordan baptised and had as a follower and disciple one Jesus of Nazareth. But there is no sentimentality in this picture, just the confident genius to picture this shocking event with sparse detail and no displays of reverence. It could be a sheep’s head being butchered and it is this scrupulous meanness of depiction which heightens the sense of man’s inhumanity to man. No longer concerned with the incidentals of the narrative, Caravaggio focuses on the essential human tragedy of the story. By presenting the opposite of the Christian message so graphically it emphasises the radical message of its founder, the disciple of John the Baptist. This picture was of huge symbolic importance to the Order of St. John whose most important relic was the arm of St. John, the arm which baptised Jesus.



This picture is the altar piece of the Oratory and was commissioned by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt. It is the largest painting produced by the artist (12 feet x 17 feet) and the only one known to be signed. This painting is described as his all-time masterpiece. The painting depicts the moment in Biblical history where St John is beheaded by King Herod to satisfy the blood lust of the seductive dancer, Salome. The scene is the courtyard of a prison and the grisly murder is observed by two other prisoners looking through a grille, while a young woman and an old crone stand ready to take the severed head and put it on the waiting platter. The blood flowing from St John's neck drips towards the bottom of the frame and in its red stream, Caravaggio signed his name.


Michelangelo Merisi, Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi was born in the town of Caravaggio (about 30 kilometres from Milan) in 1571. Caravaggio was, in fact, the first great representative of the Baroque movement. He was the archetypal rebellious artist and led a turbulent life. His life, it is said, matched the high-drama of the chiaroscuro style that his paintings became famous for.

In 1606 whilst working in Rome, one of his many brawls resulted in Caravaggio killing a young man called Ranuccio Tomassoni. With a price on his head, Caravaggio fled and headed for Naples where he would be outside the Roman jurisdiction and under the protection of the Colonna family. After just a few months, despite a successful period in Naples where he was given a number of important church commissions, Caravaggio left for Malta, the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, arriving on the island in July 1607.

Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt invested Caravaggio as a knight of magistral obedience so taken was he at having an artist of such calibre as official painter of the Order. It was during this time that Caravaggio was commissioned to paint ‘The Beheading of St John the Baptist’ and ‘St Jerome Writing’, both of which are on display in St John’s Co-Cathedral.


Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt

This period of relative calm in his life was short lived, and by late August 1608, Caravaggio was arrested for causing trouble once again, this time badly wounding a high ranking Knight in another fight. Imprisoned at Fort St Angelo, disgraced and unable to paint, he used his inventive powers to plan his escape. Caravaggio’s incredible break-out took place in October 1608 and once again he was on the run. The Council, informed of his escape, immediately expelled him from the Order.


St John’s Co-Cathedral


After a nine month stay in Sicily, during which time he was trying to secure a pardon from Pope Paul V, Caravaggio returned to Naples and the protection of the Colonna family. His style and technique as an artist was still evolving and he enjoyed a productive time in his second spell in Naples. An attempt was made on his life, and an incorrect account of his death was reported in Rome. Although Caravaggio survived the attempt, his face was left seriously disfigured.


'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist',Caravaggio depicted his own head on the platter

In an attempt to build bridges, Caravaggio painted 'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist'. He depicted his own head on the platter and sent the work to de Wignacourt as a plea for forgiveness. In 1610, Caravaggio took a boat north to receive a pardon, thanks to powerful allies in Rome. What happened then is shrouded in mystery. The artist was reported as dead in a private newsletter (an avviso) dated 28th July. Three days later, another newsletter declared that the artist had died of fever. His body, however, was never found.

This picture of ‘St Jerome Writing’ looks upon “The Beheading of St John the Baptist” from the back of the vestry. It was painted for Ippolito Malaspina, a Maltese knight whose coat of arms is on the wooden panel to the right. He was connected by marriage to Caravaggio's patron Ottavio Costa and was a confidant of the Grand Master, who may have been used as the model for the saint (similarly Van Dyck was to use the sister of the Queen of England as model for the Madonna). The saint does indeed look like the knight in a recently discovered portrait by Caravaggio, who has been identified by some as Wignacourt himself.


St Jerome Writing, Caravaggio 1607

The composition is planned in terms of triangles. One rises from the table to the saint's head, another has its apex at the cardinal's hat on the wall to the left, a third recedes to the bedstead at the back on the right. This simple design helps convey an idea of simplicity. St Jerome has no halo, his workbench is rudimentary, he does not own any folios, he has one candle to see by, a crucifix to meditate on, a stone to beat against his chest, and a skull to remind him of his mortality. He is partly naked because he lives an eremitical life in the desert of Judaea. A steady light shines on his torso and picks out the red cloak round his legs. The source of the light is outside the picture, and can be interpreted as Christ, Light of the World.


Caravaggio's signature on the "Beheading of St. John the Baptist" before and after restoration. It is the only painting he ever signed


Awe is an expression too often used and consequently devalued. But it is an apt word to describe the effect of seeing Caravaggio’s great masterpiece, a painting which fills your mind as effectively as its huge size fills the end wall of the vestry church. A splendored setting filled with the spirits and bodies of the knights. In this context and watched over by St. Jerome “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist” will reduce you to silence and wonder. Travel to see it, its scale and impact can never be represented in a photo.

For the story of The Sovereign Military Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/knights-of-malta.html


For the story of the UNESCO Heritage site which is Valletta see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/05/valletta-and-grand-harbour.html

To see the city (also a UNESCO World Heritage site) which the Knights left on 1st January 1523 when defeated by Suleiman the Magnificent see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/03/rhodes-town.html




Valletta

Kos Town

Loggia Mosque (Hassan Pasha)


Town Hall

Built around a busy harbour which has been guarded since the 14th century by the Castle of the Knights of St John Kos Town is a wonderful mixture of the ancient and modern and a worthwhile holiday destination both in its own right as well as a base for touring the island of Kos with the other Dodecanese Islands and the Turkish mainland with Bodrum (ancient Hallincarnassus) just a short boat ride away.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/02/kalymnos-island-of-sponge-divers.html )

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/09/taxi-driver-of-nisyros.html

The town of Kos was founded in 366 BC, in the same area where modern Kos is nowadays found. It reached the apogee of its importance during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, being a crossroad between civilisations, between East and West, the meeting point for both culture and trade. Its public market was of great fame during antiquity and still is thriving today. All around Kos Town you can find signs of the past, reminders of the civilisations that passed through its harbour. There are numerous buildings, built in imitation of the Italian architecture of the colonies in North Africa, most typical being the Municipal Buildings and Court House as well as modern Greek and Ottoman.


Nefterdar mosque

For such a bustling town there are a surprising number of peaceful retreats among the landscaped gardens and shady squares. Traditional tavernas and cafés around the waterfront also provide a place to escape the air of business that surrounds the island's capital. Most parts have either been carefully preserved or thoughtfully developed to produce a pleasing resort full of character.



“Phoinikon" (Palm Trees) Avenue

Its ancient Mandraki (Harbour) guarded by the Castle of Nerazia provides a pleasant hive of activity and a focal point although the ferries and inter island catamarans and hydrofoils go from a landing stage on the far side of the Castle. Despite regular and devastating earthquakes throughout its history Kos Town has remained on this site benefiting from the seaborne trade. It is the last major earthquake in 1933 (when the island was under Italian occupation) which gives us the shape and form of the contemporary city which spreads out from the harbour and which is home to half the island’s population. The Italians rebuilt with wide palm lined avenues and excavated the extensive Hellenistic and Roman archaelogical remains which were revealed by the earthquake. So modern Kos Town provides a fascinating mix of the Greek and Roman, the Crusader Knights who held out here until 1522, the Ottomans who left mosques, Hammans and fountains, the Italians who laid out the modern town and endowed it with fine public buildings, mock North African, fascist Internationalist and art Deco and modern Greece of which Kos only became a part of in 1948. The maze like Ottoman Centre apart (known as Kos Old Town) this is a planned town with the pines, palms and shrubs planted by the Italians now fully matured.

Museum Eleftherias (Freedom) square


Asklepia arriving in Kos

Eleftherias (Freedom) square is the centre of Kos Town. It is the atmospheric open air "Drawing Room" of Kos where everybody goes for their evening stroll, to see and to be seen. It is overlooked on one side by the Nefterdar mosque which was built at the end of the 18th century and the ablution fountain, on the other by the Italian Colonial style Merkato, and by the Theatre and library and the Archeological Museum on the other sides. Towered over at night by the illuminated crosses of the Orthodox Cathderal and adjoined by the ancient Roman Agora it provides a superb urban set piece symbolising the rich mix of influences which have made this unique island. A good pit stop for food and drink is Ideal snack bar on Martiou Street just off Eleftherias Square. Ideal is delightful and always friendly and the Gyros (Chicken or Pork Souvlaki) are the best value and tastiest on the island. It is run by Zoë and her family; She is Greek American from Boston and totally cool. She is also an unfailing source of reliable advice on what to do and what to see but nobody can give you reliable advice in Greece on ferry timetables! Nobody stacks a Gyros like Timo, the chef at Ideal; these are not bought in but made fresh every day by Timo and Zoë’s dad, Kostaes.



Merkato

There is a “bar street” by the Agora with late night delights including a night club in an original Turkish Hamman. More satisfying though is to head up to Haluvazia, the atmospheric Ottoman Old Town. Off the pedestrianised narrow main street (Apelou Ifestou)you can see the sturdy Ottoman homes and courtyards which survived the 1933 earthquake. Following this street you come to a cross roads where you find on one side the Old Town Café and on the other side The Old Town Bar. The café is run by the much travelled and amusing Alex who plays excellent lounge music whilst selling the best Frappe on the island – essential fuel on a warm day beneath the canopy of bougainvillea. The bar on the other side is run by Mines and his Mohitos are the real deal! It is a good place to hang out and if you turn up the second time you are greeted as an old friend and free nibbles and drinks are normal hospitality. Across from the café is Olive (Elia in Greek) at 27. Apelou Ifestou, a traditional Greek Restauraunt affiliated to the Slow Food movement which specialises in authentic local dishes and local produce and which I cannot recommend too highly. At the end of the meal you will be presented with their coup de theatre, a saucer of Olives! When you eat them you will react strangely for these are sweet olives marinated in honey and taste surprisingly delicious. Indeed they are so popular and unique that Elia now sells them in jars to take away.




Old Town

What must be also said about Kos Town is it is very clean and well run – it had an energetic mayor for many years who is now the local MP and the contrast with the chaos and inept administration elsewhere (such as Kalymnos) is refreshing. There are two strips by the coast on either side of the harbour Lambi which is more down market (Sky TV and Coronation Street) and along an elegant promenade past the smart new marina Psaldi which contains more up market hotels including my personal favourite, the excellent and well managed Continental Palace. Bicycles are often seen in Kos Town and the cycle tracks are well used especially by Dutch and German visitors. Another quiet haven is Hippocrates Plane Tree and the Loggia Mosque which are in a pleasant square with an ancient Ottoman fountain.

Hippocrates Plane Tree



Kos is the most fertile of the Dodecanese blessed with rich volcanic soil and plentiful water. In the ancient Mediterranean the trade routes did not go in straight lines but hugged the coast and on the height above Kos Town occupied by the Asklepia (the Temple where one of its priests Hippocrates practiced medicine) you have a wonderful view over the straights as far as Bodrum (as Hallincarnassus home of one of the wonders of the ancient world, the tomb of Mausulos, King of Caria) on the mainland of Asia Minor and you can imagine the scene with ancient galleys. For the Roman Empire this was the stopping off point to / from Syria, Palestine and Egypt where they took on provisions (including the Cos lettuce), used the gymnasia and baths and left the sick to follow on after recovering in the Asklepia and sanatoria. And from guilt or longing they would buy their Roman ladies, Coan draperies, the somewhat saucy translucent numbers for which the island was famous!

Kos is basically a large, long narrow plain and measures 290 square kilometers, with the obvious exception of a mountainous region in the north west of the island. This region comprises of a series of peaks, the tallest of which is Dikaio Christo (which in Greek means "The Just Christ"). A castle of the Knights of the Order of St. John still survives on one of the many peaks of Dikaio near Thimiana.


Crusader House 14C

In order to get a taste of the ancient wonders that Kos has to offer, make a stop at the Archaeological Museum, located at Eleftherias square which exhibits a wide collection of archaeological treasures, such as the mosaic of Hippocrates, the Hellenistic sculptures of Aphrodite, Eros and one believed to be of Hippocrates himself. It was built by the Italians in the Fascist International style as a none too subtle propaganda exercise with a distinct Latin bias. Whilst there are some Hellenistic exhibits many of the exhibits are in fact Roman including the mosaic which shows Hippocrates welcoming Asklepios to Kos.



The Hellenistic period is the brightest period in Kos' history. In the creation of the new city (366 BC) many marble monuments were built such as the sanctuary of Hercules, Pandimou and Pondias Aphrodite, the Market, the Gymnasium, the Stadium, the Theatre, the Altar of Dionysus and the Acropolis. The relics of these monuments were brought to light by the diggings of Italian archeologists. King Ptolomeos II of Egypt was born in Kos at this time. He adored Greek literature and was know as the Philadelphos. During the Hellenistic period, the island thrived economically and culturally. Kos was not only rich in agricultural and livestock products but also started developing its export trade in wine, olive oil, fruit, perfumes, silk and wool.

It then became part of the Roman Empire and then part of Byzantium where it remained until after the 4th Crusade and the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders and the Venetians.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/fall-of-byzantium.html

The centuries that followed were marked by the presence of foreign conquerors. After a short occupation of the island by the Venetians and the Genoans, Kos came under the control of the Knights of St John in 1314. The Order was a force to be reckoned with, with its own governors, who were constituted by the Council of the Knights of Rhodes. At the same time Kos was attacked by the Turks. The knights however successfully managed to repulse them for a time largely due to the fortifications of the Perimeter Wall and the Castle of Nerazia (city), the Castle of Antimachia, which was unsuccessfully attacked - mostly in 1457, the Castle of old Pyli and the Castle of Kefalos. Even today the restorations to the damage done by the Turkish attacks of the two most important castles, those of Nerazia and Antimachia, are clearly visible. The Dodecanese eventually fell to the forces of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522 – This time the Knights did not attempt to defend Kos but retreated to Rhodes which they eventually left before ending up some time later in Malta.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/knights-of-malta.html




The island slumbered in largely benign neglect under Ottoman rule for nearly 400 years being culturally diverse with Greek, Muslim and Jewish populations. Kos (along with Rhodes) was one of the Dodecanese which had inward immigration from Turks and the town has 3 mosques, four Hammans and numerous fountains and minarets. At Platani on the way to Asklepion there are still Turkish villages with restaurants reputed to have the best food on the island. Also on the way to Platani you can see the old Jewish and Muslim cemeteries side by side.

On May 20th 1912 the Italians conquered Kos from the crumbling Ottoman Empire. The inhabitants intialy welcomed them as their liberators. Soon they found out that their promise of a short occupation of the Dodecanese was insincere. The answer to the ulterior motives of the Italians was vigorous and included an upsurge in nationalist sentiments and promotion of Enosis (unification) with Greece. After the treaty of Lausanne the Italian domination of the Dodecanese was consolidated and the inhabitants of those islands were considered Italian citizens with singular citizenship. Kos became vice - governorship (Reggenza) and was under the jurisdiction of the governor (Governatore) of Rhodes. In all sectors (language, education, religion, economy etc.) there was a sweeping program under Mussolini of fascist italicisation of the Dodecanese. The people of Kos, being Greek, naturally resisted.

After the disastrous earthquake on April 23rd 1933 the new city of Kos was rebuilt by the Italians. The archeologists dug up and repaired a lot of monuments. A large number of sculptures of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman era are kept and exhibited at the archeological museum at Eleftherias square. When the 2nd World War was declared, many volunteers took part in the "Dodecanese's Regiment". The Dodecanese Regiment fought with the Army of Central Macedonia against the Germans. After the Italian truce (03.09.1943) there was a landing of a small English force on the island, which was accepted by the Italians in order to face a potential German attack. On October 3rd 1943 the island was conquered by German troops. A new period of terrorism and brutality began. Two of the most poignant reminders of this traumatic time can be seen in Kos Town. The Jewish synagogue has a plaque outside “In memory of the Jewish Community of Kos – 16th century to 1944”. The large Catholic Church opposite the Municipal Buildings is no longer in use and the small catholic community instead uses the elegant circular church near the Casa Romana. This was originally the funerary church of the catholic cemetery and the Orthodox cemetery is behind it. Hear you can see the gravestones of the Italians executed on 3rd October including several to “Fante Ignoto” – an unknown child.

Synagogue


Italian cemetery

In 1948 after the years of war and occupation Kos, just four miles from Turkey was united with Greece for the first time in its history. The 50s and 60s were years of inertia when many emigrated from this shattered island (indeed from all the Greek islands) to America and Australia. Mass tourism, for all its woes, saved and regenerated Kos.

There is a wealth of archaelogical remains in and around Kos Town. Just some of the more notable are;

Asklepion of Kos; Situated 4 km west of Kos, Asklepeio is the most significant archaeological site on the island. Aesculapius in the Greek religion was a son of Apollo and was the God of health assisted by his two handmaidens, Hygeia, goddess of cleanliness and Panacea, goddess of pain relief. The excavations here began in 1902, by Lakovos Zaraftis from Kos and Dr. Hertsok from Germany. Asklepeio was built in a green area full of cypress trees. During the ancient years, it served as a sanatorium and it was dedicated to Aesculapius, son of Apollo, protector of health and medicine. Many significant people taught and worked here, one of them being the father of Medicine, Hippocrates. Due to the steep ground, Asklepeio consist of four connecting levels, called "andira". The first is characterized by ruins of Roman constructions of the 1st century AD. The second, where the medical school is said to have been housed, is known for its arches and statues. The spas were here and they were watered from the spring of King Halkon and the spring of Vournika on Mount Dikeo.



Asklepion of Kos

Hippocrates was born around 460 BC on the island of Kos, Greece. He became known as the founder of medicine and was regarded as the greatest physician of his time. He based his medical practice on observations and on the study of the human body. He held the belief that illness had a physical and a rational explanation. He rejected the views of his time that considered illness to be caused by superstitions and by possession of evil spirits and disfavour of the gods. Hippocrates probably had very little to do with the oath which bears his name taken by all doctors which enjoins them to “do no harm” and keep secret what is told to them by a patient. He did certainly write a treatise on healing entitled “Air, Water and Places” on the importance of environment to health whose holistic approach now seems positively contemporary.

The Agora, built right next to the harbour in order to facilitate trade, was a building 80m wide with a length of about 300m. An impressive stairway leads from the road to the internal yard. Two columns that have been restored form a type of portico. It is estimated that the first construction of the Agora was between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., while the few pieces from the buildings that have been preserved clearly show many construction periods.

Castle of Nerazia 12C. The castle of the Knights of the Order of Saint John is situated at the entrance of Kos harbour on what used to be an island in antiquity, communicating with the inland through a bridge that one can still see even today namely the bridge of “Phoinikon" (Palm Trees) Avenue. The castle consists of two defensive precincts. The interior one has four circular towers in the corners; the south-eastern tower forms part of the exterior precinct, which is the larger one of the two, with massive bastions on the four corners, battlements and gun ports. The two precincts are separated by a large moat and communicate with a drawbridge.


Castle of Nerazia


The western archaelogical remains contain both the Roman baths and the Hellenistic Gymnasium. The 3rd century Thermes Nymfeo or Forica are part of the bath complex. When the building was first discovered, its elegance initially led archaeologists to the conclusion that this was a sanctuary dedicated to the nymphs, but it was finally determined that the building was in fact a luxury public urinal.

Gymnasium

The Hellenistic Gymnasium (i.e. athletics gym) was known as "Xysto". The Gymnasium was thus named from the habit of the athletes of scraping (xisoun) their bodies in order to clean it from the oil they anointed themselves before the races began. A row of 17 restored columns from the ancient Gymnasium are an impressive sight. There was a water tank in the middle of the Gymnasium where athletes could wash themselves, and the western Thermes were adjacent for the same reason.

The Roman Odeon, built in the 2nd century, has been well preserved. The concave opening has nine marble rows that have been restored, a landing and then another five rows made of granite. The lower stands made of marble were for the more "respectable" citizens while the higher stand made of stone was for the remaining spectators. Other sections that were also saved are the floor of the proscenium and the wings, as well as the orchestra pit.

The Roman Odeon

Kos Casa Romana: Casa Romana, which means the “Roman House”, is an important excavation area. This house shows the architectural style that dominated on the island in the Hellenistic and the Roman Times. It is a beautiful mansion with a style similar to the buildings found in Pompeii. It dates from the 2nd century and was built on the ruins of another house of the Hellenistic period. Apart from its nice architecture, the house stands out due to its frescoes, the most remarkable of which depicts a panther attacking a bear, as well as its elaborated decoration and statues, which date from the late Hellenistic period and are currently exhibited at the Museum of Kos. This and the rest of the mosaics date from the 3rd century AD. The scale of the house can be gauged from the fact that it spreads over 36 rooms and 3 atria.


Mandraki

To understand Kos and the Dodecanese you must realise that these stepping stones en route to the Middle East and Anatolia have always been fated for invasion and occupation; too rich to be ignored but never powerful enough to rule themselves. To understand the people you must understand the history of the Balkan Wars of 1912 – 13, Greece’s 1917 -18 involvement in the First World War and the disastrous Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922 which led to massive population exchanges – essentially regulated ethnic cleansing. Refugees from Asia Minor make up a significant proportion of the population of Kos and the wider Greek Diaspora. Kos today is not multi cultural but is still an interesting and pleasant island which has largely kept its character. Kos Town is one of the more pleasant places as a holiday base with good facilities, a fascinating history whose remnants surround and sometimes astound you and a great hopping off point for the other Dodecanese and the Turkish coast.

Location: Dodecanese, Greece.


travel

Mdina and Rabat, Malta.

Mdina

Mdina, Malta's ancient capital stands majestically on a hilltop in the centre of the island. The oldest city on the island of Malta, going back to pre-historic times, the word Mdina derives from the Arabic word 'medina' which means 'walled city'.
From its lofty perch, Mdina commands stunning views of the Maltese landscape. This ancient walled city is not only the jewel in Malta's crown but also one of Europe's finest examples of medieval fortifications and a major must-see of any visit to the island. Only 400 people live here in this traffic free city known as "The Silent City". So make a point of taking the 20 minute bus ride from Valletta to see this unique place and the surrounding village of Rabat.

The history of Mdina goes back more than 4,000 years. According to tradition it was here that in 60 AD that the Apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. Furthermore it is said that St. Paul resided inside the grotto know as Fuori le Mura (outside the city walls) now known as St. Paul’s Grotto in Rabat. Lamp lit by night and referred to as “the silent city”, Mdina is fascinating to visit for its timeless atmosphere as well as its cultural and religious treasures.

Palazzo Inguanez, Mdina

Mdina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role but its medieval name describes it best – "Citta’ Notabile": the noble city. It was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families; some are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th century onwards. Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets. Before them it was the capital for the Romans who called the island and the city “Melite” after the honey for which the island was famous. Before them the Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melite) meaning "honey" or "honey-sweet" possibly due to Malta's unique production of honey; Malta has had an endemic species of bee which lives on the island, giving it the common nickname the "land of honey". After a period of Byzantine rule (fourth to ninth century) and a probable sack by the Vandals, the islands were conquered by the Arabs in 870 AD. The Arabs, who generally tolerated the population's Christianity, introduced the cultivation of citrus fruits and cotton, and irrigation systems. Arab influence can be seen most prominently in the modern Maltese language, a Semitic language which also contains significant Romance influences, and is written in a variation of the Latin alphabet. The period of Arab rule lasted until 1091, when the islands were taken by the Siculo-Normans. The Arabs reduced the roman city in size to build a walled citadel in the centre of the island surrounded by a moat, the town without the walls became Rabat.

Streetscene, Mdina

Mdina is one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and Baroque architecture. There is only one entrance to Mdina, at the city's gate. The only cars permitted within the city's walls are those belonging to residents, and those belonging to the strictly regulated repair and construction workers. This policy mimics that of the Benedictine nunnery of St. Agatha, located just inside the city gate. The nuns of St. Agatha foreswear the outside world when they enter the nunnery, and until recently, were buried within its walls when they died. St. Agatha supposedly sought refuge in a crypt at Mdina during her persecution in Sicily, and is usually depicted holding her shorn breasts on a plate, an injury of torture from which she was supposedly miraculously healed by a vision of St. Peter. To this day, the only people allowed entry to the nunnery are women whose services are required for deliveries, and men for construction and repair, who are strictly supervised so as not to come in contact with the nuns.

Mdina Entrance Gate

Mdina has been dubbed "The Silent City," and not without reason. Turn just once after entering the city gate, and the sense of quiet becomes deafening. Without cars, within walls, and standing high above the land the stillness of the place is overwhelming and very welcome on what is in many ways a busy and noisy island. The golden stone from which most buildings are made reflected the sunlight, bathing me in a warm glow wherever I went. If there was ever a place to ponder life, it surely must be Mdina. With its high-walled streets and alleys it was much like a labyrinth, and I probably could have lost myself in my thoughts. Every street was so much the same, yet so different from the one before. All the closed, but brightly-painted doors & windows, all the golden bricks on every side. Streets led in circles, and sometimes to dead ends.

Tomb of a Noble, Cathedral Mdina

Within the walls of the Silent City one can visit many places of interest. The most obvious of these is the Cathedral dedicated to the Conversion of Saint Paul, itself an artistic masterpiece and a showplace of fine art. Other Museums and places of interest include: the Cathedral Museum, housing treasures by, among other masters, Albrecht Durer and Caravaggio; the Natural History Museum; the "Mdina Dungeons"; the "Mdina Experience", an audio-visual spectacle covering the city's history from the Roman era; the "Medieval Times", a guided-walk through 14th and 15th century life; the "Knights of Malta", another walk-through experience with life-sized figures; and various Palazzos, some purely for historic interest, for example Palazzo Falzon, while others provide food and beverage in an unrivalled ambience.

St Paul's Cathedral, Mdina

The National Museum of Natural History is housed in the 18th century Magisterial Palace of Justice within Mdina. The original building served as the seat of the Università, or local Government. In the early 18th century, a new entrance to the city was constructed and the Portuguese Grand Master Antonio Manuel de Vilhena (1722-36) re-structured the building at personal expense and transformed it into the present palace. A bronze bust of the Grandmaster of the Order lies above the main door and Vilhena’s coat-of-arms are sculptured on the main gateway and inside the portico.







In the early 20th century the palace was converted into a hospital through the generous funding of HRH the Duke of Connaught and was officially inaugurated on 22nd April, 1909, by King Edward VII. Throughout the forty or so years of its existence, it was popularly known as the Connaught Hospital. The National Museum of Natural History was set up in the palace in 1973.


Medina and its Noble Families also changed the course of Maltese History in 1798 when Malta was occupied by the French under Napoleon. The reign of the Knights of St. John ended when Malta was captured by Napoleon en route to his expedition of Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798. As a ruse, Napoleon asked for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and then turned his guns against his hosts once safely inside Valletta. The Grand Master knew that he could only allow a few ships at a time to enter the harbour, due to the Treaty of Trent. Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim capitulated and Napoleon stayed in Malta for a few days, during which time he systematically looted the movable assets of the Order, and established an administration controlled by his nominees. He then sailed for Egypt, leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.







The occupying French forces were unpopular, however, due particularly to their negative attitude towards religion. The high hopes of the population were soon shattered when, on July 5th, a mere month after their arrival, the new conquerors looted the Mdina Cathedral of its silver. Messing with their churches was the biggest crime the French garrison could have committed against the fanatically religious Maltese people of the time! That same month, less than 3 weeks later, the Church of the Annunciation (Lunzjata) and the Carmelite Monastery in Mdina were both closed down by the French and, as if to prove that they hadn’t grasped the gravity of their misdoings, in August they even closed down the Benedictine Monastery in Birgu.



But their final act of abuse – the straw that broke the camel’s back – came when, on September 2nd, the French ordered the auctioning of the damask, richly draping the walls of Mdina’s Carmelite Church. This was thwarted by the angry crowd and, later that same day, rioting broke out. French officer, Masson, and a group of his men were killed at Rabat, giving rise to a state of high alert. French troops gathered behind the walls of Malta’s fortified cities, where they were blockaded by the Maltese militia until their surrender 2 years later to the British fleet, under the command of Captain Alexander Ball, Lord Nelson’s bright star.









Interior - St. Paul's Cathedral Mdina - By tradition built on the site where the Roman Governor, Publius, met St. Paul





The leaders of the people, having sought the assistance of the British Navy to oust the French and not wishing to have the Order reinstated as the islands' rulers, asked for the protection of the British Crown and, thus, become a part of its dominion. This was to be the beginning of Malta's British occupation as a Crown Colony and as a Military Base.

Around Mdina is Rabat, literally "The Town" in Arabic. Rabat is home to the famous Catacombs of St. Paul and of St. Agatha. These catacombs were used in Roman times to bury the dead as, according to Roman culture, it was unclean to bury the dead in the city (Mdina and parts of Rabat were built on top of an ancient Roman city). The Catacombs were also where early Christians secretly met and performed Mass until Constantine I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and therefore stopped persecuting Christians. The Catacombs are now looked after by Heritage Malta, the organisation who looks after most of the museums and temples in Malta. Part of St.Paul's Catacombs, the part accessible from the Parish church which is dedicated to the same Saint, was where St.Paul stayed for three months when he was shipwrecked on the island in 60 A.D.

St. Agatha's Catacomb

The Maltese Islands are rich in Late Roman and Byzantine burial sites. St Paul’s Catacombs are a typical complex of interconnected, underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 4th century AD. They are located on the outskirts of the old Roman capital Melite (today’s Mdina). St Paul’s Catacombs represent the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta and owes its name to the widely held myth that it was related to St Paul’s Grotto.

The Maltese catacombs, when compared with those of Rome, Sicily and North Africa, although much more modest in size have a wider variety and richness of tomb architecture. The architecture of St Paul’s Catacombs is the result of an indigenous development which was barely influenced by overseas traditions. An imposing hall acts as the centre of St Paul’s Catacombs. Passages lead off from it in several directions into a bewildering series of tomb galleries. The few surviving murals, despite their fragmentary state, are of considerable interest since they constitute the only surviving evidence on the Islands of painting from the Late Roman and early medieval periods. Among the most interesting features of St Paul’s Catacombs are the circular tables which are set in a low platform with sloping sides and appear to resemble a reclining, circular couch. Both table and couch are hewn out in one piece forming a single architectural unit within an apsed recess. They were probably used to host commemorative meals during the annual festival of the dead when the rites of burials were renewed.

Parish Church, Rabat

Like nearby Mdina, Rabat played a major role in Malta’s past and is a prime source of its cultural heritage. This large provincial township was part of the Roman city of Melita, with the sites and archaeological relics found testifying to the town's importance during the Roman period. For many centuries, religious orders have established themselves within the precincts of Rabat and Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians still flourish here in their spacious convents and monasteries, catering for the religious needs of parishioners in their churches. The town is a commercial centre and acts as a market to its large agricultural hinterland. It is also well established on the tourist map due to its archaeological and historical sites: The Roman House (Villa), Catacombs, St. Paul’s Grotto and the fine churches and monasteries.

St. Paul’s Grotto

The mosaic pavements in the "Roman house" at Rabat rank among the finest and oldest mosaic compositions from the western Mediterranean, alongside those of Pompeii and Sicily. They were discovered in 1881 just outside Mdina in the remains of a rich and sumptuously decorated town house of the Roman period. These remarkably fine polychrome mosaic pavements were uncovered during the first excavations at the site. At that time, architectural elements of the building were restored and a number of rooms constructed over the remains to protect the mosaics.



The site was investigated further between 1920 and 1924 by Sir Themistocles Zammit, Malta’s first Director of Museums. An upper hall was added to the existing museum so as to provide more exhibition space and a more suitable entrance. Its neo-classical façade with a small front garden was completed in 1925.









Mdina Glass



A particularly satisfying place to visit in Rabat is the former palace of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt. Indeed on the road from Valletta to Mdina you travel parallel to the Wignacourt aqueduct which was completed in 1615. The museum is run by volunteers and you are guaranteed an appreciative welcome from them and the resident cats! Formerly a clergy house called Wignacourt College, the museum is linked to St Paul's church by a tunnel. The college became a museum in 1981 and has a collection of Punic-Roman artifacts, coins, books, pottery, and furniture. The foyer of the ground floor leads to an extensive underground wartime shelter and various hypogea. Numerous exhibitions, featuring works by local and foreign artists are held throughout the year here.

Wigancourt Museum

The main floor hosts a number of exhibits including ceramics, coins, medals, pottery, maps, rare books, sacred vestments, parchments, portraits, furniture, sculpture, reliquaries, icons and bozzetti. Of particular interest is the Treasurer’s room, where there is the wooden chest on a loft above the bed, set in an alcove where the treasurer slept and from where he could safely guard the chest. Under the museum lies part of an extensive WWII air raid shelter with 44 rooms, interconnected with various tombs dating back to 2000 years old. In all, the two hypogeums boast about 50 tombs, rivalling the other catacombs in Rabat. Formerly the only entrance to St. Paul’s catacombs, the garden is that of which Lord Nelson was led to these catacombs in 1800.

Rabat and Mdina are easily reached by local bus from Valletta and to miss seeing them is to miss the essence of this unique island.









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