Updated 8.15pm - A rare exhibition of a unique collection of 29 tapestries at St John's Co-Cathedral drew thousands of people on Sunday, with a long queue forming at St John's Square.

The tapestries hanging in the nave.

The exhibition, titled A Gift of Glory, features the tapestries hanging along the nave of the Co-Cathedral for the first time since the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1990.

The tapestries, woven from wool and pure silk, form one of the largest and most exquisite sets from the baroque era and are said to be the only complete set of the time still in existence.

They were gifted to the church by Grand Master Ramon Perellos in 1702 and depict the triumph of the Roman Catholic Church, scenes from the life of Christ and the 12 apostles.

A 16-year conservation and restoration project was completed a few months ago.

Entrance to the exhibition was free of charge on Sunday. The doors opened at 3pm and by closing time at 8pm some 6,500 people had passed through the doors for 15-minute tours. 

The exhibition continues until June 24. The tapestries will in future be exhibited in a hall being built for the purpose as part of a new museum of the co-cathedral