The chapel of the Virgin of Philermos

Abstract

The chapel dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, formally known as the Chapel of the Virgin of Philermos, has just undergone complete restoration on the initiative of the Foundation of St John’s Co-Cathedral. The monumental church dedicated to St John the Baptist was built by the knights of the Order of St John as their conventual church. It was to serve as a physical expression of their religious ardour and military valour, and they endowed it with lavish gifts of immense beauty and artistic value. This chapel was the first one to be given a particular devotion, selected by the Prior of the Church Frà Ponto Laurenzin. The knights had a great devotion to the Virgin Mary, and it seems that this chapel was already functioning as early as 1576 when the church was barely complete, as records exist of concessions of indulgences towards the Virgin Mary. Like the rest of the church, the chapel had suffered from the ravages of time. The main cause of deterioration was due to the infiltration of rain water from the dome, which caused the loss of the gilding, and the erosion of some of the carvings.