Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
19 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Malta Valletta St. John’s Co-Cathedral Skeleton Tombstones

St. John’s Co-Cathedral Skeleton Tombstones

The floor of this spectacular Baroque sanctuary is covered in memento mori.

Valletta, Malta

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
One of the tombstone skeletons.   Robin & Bazylek/cc by 2.0
One of the tombstone skeletons.   Robin & Bazylek/cc by 2.0
Another skeleton of St. John’s (polishing a book?).   Myriam Thyes/public domain
St. John’s Cathedral.   Uriel1022/public domain
Reclining skeleton.   Myriam Thyes/public domain
Memento Mori, St John’s Cathedral, Valleta.   Tony Hisgett/cc by 2.0
Detail of a tombstone, a skeleton dressed in a monk’s habit.   Anonymous/public domain
A skeleton trumpeter sitting on a winged clock.   Denis Barthel (talk)/cc by-sa 3.0
An angel interrupting the studying of a skeleton.   Denis Barthel (talk)/cc by-sa 3.0
  haneiter / Atlas Obscura User
  haneiter / Atlas Obscura User
  LaurengeCounty / Atlas Obscura User
  Dziki / Atlas Obscura User
  Dziki / Atlas Obscura User
  bbjames69 / Atlas Obscura User
  bbjames69 / Atlas Obscura User
  bbjames69 / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral clock   mwstott / Atlas Obscura User
  Dziki / Atlas Obscura User
  haneiter / Atlas Obscura User
  haneiter / Atlas Obscura User
  haneiter / Atlas Obscura User
  LaurengeCounty / Atlas Obscura User
  LaurengeCounty / Atlas Obscura User
  LaurengeCounty / Atlas Obscura User
  LaurengeCounty / Atlas Obscura User
Winged skeleton vs. a Roman and a Cherub.   Myriam Thyes/public domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

While exploring St. John’s Co-Cathedral, it’s easy to be dazzled by the gilded walls and ceilings adorned with historic frescoes and glittering gold leaf. But don’t let this ornate splendor steal all your attention. Be sure to turn your gaze downward, too, to admire its marble floor covered with images of skeletons.

The story of these cadavers is inextricably linked with the history of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. In 1530, the Knights were given permanent headquarters on Malta and the island of Gozo. In return, they had to send a single Maltese falcon to the King of Spain each year on All Saints’ Day as payment.

The presence of the knights here was considered important for maritime defense, as the Mediterranean was then a region of continuous conflict. Barbary pirates in search of slaves raided towns and cities, and the Turkish Ottoman Empire continued its military expansion.

Such a danger would soon become a gruesome reality, when in 1565, the Sultan of Turkey, Suleiman the Great, sent a force of 40,000 men to invade and conquer the island, which was then defended by only 700 knights and 8,000 soldiers. Heavily outnumbered, the besieged Knights lost approximately half of their men in battle and many more of the ordinary soldiers lost their lives too, though Malta did win the battle. 

The decadent cathedral that stands today was built between 1572 and 1577. The nearly 400 Knights who fell during the Great Siege of Malta were originally buried elsewhere, but were later reinterred within the spectacular structure. The skeleton-covered floor is comprised of their tombstones.

Related Tags

Cathedral Churches Skeletons Memento Mori Tombs Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The Cathedral of St. John is in center of Valleta and is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The entrance fee costs €15 Euro. The skeletons themselves are very easy to find, as they feature in almost every image on the floor.

There are free audio guides included with the entry fee.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

socialistsophie, annj, mwstott, bbjames69...

  • socialistsophie
  • annj
  • mwstott
  • bbjames69
  • haneiter
  • Dziki
  • LaurengeCounty

Published

May 20, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/05/the-tombstone-covered-floor-of-st-johns.html
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/St.+John's+Co-Cathedral/@35.8975964,14.5103064,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x130e452c8056706d:0x679f27f1631ed8cf!8m2!3d35.8975921!4d14.5124951
St. John’s Co-Cathedral Skeleton Tombstones
35a St Zachary St
Valletta
Malta
35.897592, 14.512495
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Victory Kitchen Sign

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Pjazza Teatru Rjal

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Valletta

Valletta

Malta

Places 5

Nearby Places

Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Victory Kitchen Sign

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Pjazza Teatru Rjal

Valletta, Malta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Valletta

Valletta

Malta

Places 5

Related Places

  • Thomas and Mary Howard.

    Rudbaxton, Wales

    Church of St. Michael

    Eerily lifelike effigies stare at everyone who enters this sanctuary.

  • The Triumph of Death

    Clusone, Italy

    The Triumph of Death

    A medieval fresco which reminds visitors that death will come for us all.

  • Death cutting the life-thread

    Munich, Germany

    Asamkirche

    Among the ostentatious rococo ornamentation of this church, an image of death cuts the life-thread.

  • Averara, Italy

    Averara Skeletons

    Five painted skeletons are hiding behind a church in this tiny village in the Italian Alps.

  • The Necropolis of St. Sophia Church

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    The Necropolis of St. Sophia Church

    Underneath this Byzantinian church lies a necropolis filled with ancient tombs and the ruins of previous churches.

  • The sarcophagi are located on both lateral walls inside the basilica.

    Classe, Italy

    Sarcophagi of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

    Numerous stone coffins from different centuries, lined up in a sixth century basilica.

  • The Bamberg Horseman, 2008.

    Bamberg, Germany

    Bamberg Horseman

    Art historians have debated the identity of this medieval stone rider since the 19th century.

  • The Dance of Death fresco at Marienkirche.

    Berlin, Germany

    'The Dance of Death'

    At one of Berlin’s oldest churches, visitors can place mosaic tiles to help restore a medieval mural.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.