2013 marks  the fourth centenary of the birth of one of the greatest artists of all times – Mattia Preti. Preti, Il Cavalier Calabrese (the Knight from Calabria), was born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria in 1613. The Italian artist came to Malta in 1659 and was made a Knight of magistral obedience in 1661. He was soon commissioned by Grand Master de Redin to paint a new altarpiece for the chapel of the Aragonese Langue. The next Grand Master, Raphael Cotoner, asked him to decorate the entire vault of the church with scenes from the Life of St John the Baptist, the Order’s patron saint. Preti’s contribution to St John’s Co-Cathedral is immense, with his works adorning most of its interior.  Preti will be remembered as a great artist of the Baroque movement. He died in 1699 and is buried in St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.