Archbishop launches investigation on floor collapse at St John’s Co-Cathedral

Archbishop Charles Scicluna has confirmed that the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation did not inform him about a serious incident that damaged the Bartolott Crypt last year.

Monsignor Scicluna only learned about the incident from reports by The Shift. A spokesman for the Head of the Maltese Curia stated that in light of the reported incident, the Archbishop “requested an independent review of the works undertaken on the museum extension to date and asked the Foundation to cooperate fully with the statutory authorities in any investigation.”

This was after the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation refuted claims of the collapse despite photographic evidence presented in The Shift’s report.

The Archbishop’s statement confirms The Shift’s report, which revealed that the Foundation kept the incident at the centuries-old crypt hidden to avoid controversy over the damages sustained.

The Shift reported that around April 2024, a raised floor installed in the Bartolott Crypt collapsed, causing significant damage to the original flooring of the historic crypt and potentially to the underlying structure, which contains three underground caverns where approximately 600 Knights of the Order of St. John are buried.

Experts believe the incident was due to poor design by the project architects—AP Valletta. Architect Konrad Buhagiar leads the AP team, while architect Edwin Mintoff, another architect hired by the Foundation, is also supposed to oversee the project.

Mgr Emmanuel Agius did not reply to questions on whether anyone has been held accountable.

The restoration of the Bartolott Crypt, located beneath the Co-Cathedral’s Oratory housing the iconic Caravaggio painting, is part of the St John’s Museum extension project.

This project, initially scheduled for completion in 2018, has become a ‘scandal’ in itself due to delays, with no opening date in sight.

Repeated claims of mismanagement, including the expenditure of millions of euro without proper accountability, have circulated for years but have remained unaddressed by both the government and Church authorities, who share responsibility for the Foundation.

In 2023, the Foundation’s CEO, Tonio Mallia, announced that the museum extension would finally open in 2025 at a projected cost of approximately €13 million. The target is nowhere close to being achieved.

Two more investigations

In addition to the Curia’s independent review, The Shift has been informed that two separate investigations have commenced.

Following a request from Carmel Cacopardo on behalf of ADPD – The Green Party, the Ombudsman has launched an investigation.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Architects (Kamra tal-Periti) has also initiated a probe to determine what happened, who is responsible, and whether the architects engaged in professional misconduct.

In a brief damage control statement, the Foundation asserted that “no damage was sustained to the burial chambers beneath the crypt and absolutely no degradation to the structural integrity of the historic structures, which remained uncompromised.”