GPR investigations at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta

Abstract

The Cathedral of St John in Valetta, Malta, represents a unique monument of historical importance. In this paper, we present the results of a detailed ground penetrating radar campaign performed in this Cathedral. The campaign was aimed at investigating the distribution of buried tombs under the mosaic floor of the main nave and of the lateral chapels of the Co-Cathedral. The floor of the church shows a continuity of grave inscriptions in the main nave as well as in all lateral chapels. It was suspected, based on available historical documents, that only a part of the present-day inscriptions corresponds to the original sepultures or tombs. The ground penetrating radar results presented here further highlight this conjecture and offer additional information regarding this important monument.