The preservation of the marble floor at the conventual Church of St John in Valletta : various options & conclusions

Abstract

Awareness of the protection of national heritage has been given a lot of importance particularly after the enforcement of laws following the enactment of several charters across Europe. The marble floor at St John's Co-Cathedral has often been the topic of many discussions locally, it being a unique masterpiece worldwide: its deterioration with respect to the numerous visitors is an issue much questioned by experts in the field till this day. Although in the early 1990's a proposal was put forward for the protection of the marble floor, it was not accepted. This being a very delicate issue, one merely requires a team of experts in order to determine the correct means one has to take to protect our heritage here at stake. However it was best felt to bring up this issue for the awareness of such a problem, and put forward what is felt to be a better proposal, to this day. After identifying the main causes of deterioration of this masterpiece, a number of options are listed, and the preferred proposal is discussed and designed accordingly to best create an interface between Past - heritage (the marble floor); Present - visitors; and Future - generations to come.