Mdina Things to Do

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This is the 2nd oldest building in Mdina – parts date back to the 13th century.

It is wonderfully preserved and restored courtesy of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. It was the home of philanthropist & collector Olof Gollcher – many of his items are displayed in the house.

A lovely place to visit, and an excellent coffee shop on the roof with superb views.

Entry was €10 and that included an electronic guide.

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Exploring Mdina's streets you come across beautiful old buildings & secluded squares. The streets are tall and narrow, this provides plenty of shade from the sun. Their design and layout also helps the circulation of cooling draughts of air around the city.

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At the farthest point of our brief tour to Mdina, we reached "Bastion Square or Piazza tas-Sur" at the end of Villegaignon Triq. Stop here at this high vantage point atop the fortified ramparts if you would like to view this panorama spreading out before you. This is the area from which the Ottoman Turks lay seige to Mdina. "Straight in front is the hill at Mtarfa where the Ottoman turks encamped during there bitter and fierce but unsuccessful attack on Mdina in 1522." As you stand at that high wall, you may imagine what the scene looked like and at the determination and courage shown by the citizens of Mdina to repel the vast army that lay waiting to assault their city.

Also from this point on Bastion Square, our guide pointed out the dome of Mosta's church which is considered the 3rd largest dome in the World. The Pantheon in Rome has the world's largest dome.

NOTE: Be cautious of the uneven pavement and steps at Bastion Square and the ramparts. One elderly member of our group missed a step and fell, causing other members of the group to fall as well.

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The Cathedral of St. Paul in Mdina is said to be built on the spot where the Governor Publius was recorded as having met St. Paul the Apostle subsequent to his shipwreck off the coast of Malta. The present cathedral replaced an earlier Norman Cathedral which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693.

The cathedral seen today was designed by Lorenzo Gafa and was built from 1697 - 1702. It's graceful exterior features 2 symmetrical bell towers (see my closeup photo of one bell tower), but more unusually, the facade features 2 clocks just beneath the bell towers!! The clock on the left tells the date and the clock on the right tells time.

The interior of the cathedral reveals many notable features:
1)The beautiful & impressive center dome, the interior; its painting date only from the 20th century;
2)The intricate & varied hues of the marble-inlaid floor composing the flat tombstones which depict coats of arms and inscriptions of the interred -- bishops of Mdina, etc. similar to St. John's Co-Cathedral;
3)and Mattia Preti's painting of the Conversion of St. Paul located behind the main altar.

The Cathedral's ceiling paintings and frescoes are beautiful to behold and you should not miss a chance to visit St. Paul's!

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Our tour of Mdina literally began at the door of the National Museum of Natural History in the Palazzo Vilhena, former home of the 66th Order of the Knights of St. John Grand Master, Fra Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. The museum is the national repository of biological specimens and represents both life and earth sciences.

Located on the San Publius Square behind a large, solemn stone courtyard featuring a inlaid marble Maltese Cross, the entrance to Palazzo Vilhena is adorned with sculptures, and a large, intricate medallion. It still looks very much like a palace.

Not to be confused with a "National" history museum, the "Natural" History Museum is for lovers of nature!! The Natural History Museum contains exhibits and historically important geological collections of "over 10,000 rocks and minerals, over 3,500 birds, birds’ eggs and nests, 200 mammals, over 200 fish species, thousands of local and exotic shells and insects."

The fossil collection is something you just don't find everywhere--containing a number of large fish, numerous species of sea urchins and other marine fauna found embedded in limestone rocks, this collection is a goldmine for students of biology, anthropology, geology, zoology, palaeontology and other curious scientifically-oriented minds.

High school, college students and tourists alike will find the museum focuses on faunal aspects of natural sciences, habitats, evolution, and ecosystems a good place for research and the museum also houses a reference library on natural sciences.

The Palazzo Vilhena provides a grand setting for this museum!

The very reasonable admission fees are as follows:
Adults (18 - 59 years): €2.33 (Lm 1)
Students (12 - 17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years and over), ISIC Card Holders, EURO<26 Card Holders, ISE Card Holders and ICOM Card Holders: €1.25 (Lm0.50c)
Children (6 -11 years): €0.58 (Lm0.25c)

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During the time of Arab rule, enhancement of the fortifications of Mdina became a huge undertaking. Higher, solid stone walls were added and a moat was dug for additional fortification --- Mdina eventually resembled other Moorish fortresses of the time such as in North Africa. However, these changes greatly reduced the size of the city and required more formal gates for entry.

The "Mdina Gate" is probably most widely recognized and most used by tourists to gain entry into "the Silent City." Two stone sculptures on pedestals frame the approach to the stone bridge and ornamental gate. The gate leads directly to the Piazza San Publius in front of the Vilhena Palace, now home of the national Museum of Natural History.

The city sustained considerable damage during the earthquake of 1693. It was Grand Master Fra Antoine Manoel de Vilhena who restored the Palazzo Vilhena (originally the Magisterial Palace) and the main gate or Mdina Gate around the year 1725 and added Baroque embellisments making it the distinctive entrance to this special city as we see it today.

There is documentation of a cathedral on this site dating back to the 12th century. In January 1693 the old cathedral was destroyed by a giant earthquake. Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa was commissioned to design the new building and work started in 1697.

The cathedral was closed when I visited Mdina. I therefore didn't get to see the frescoed nave ceiling or the inside of the dome. My memories of the cathedral are the way it dominated the centre of Mdina & its change in colour when going from being bathed in sunshine to being in the shade. The other memory is of seeing its dome & towers from many miles away.

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As you cross the bridge over the dry moat, you reach the Main Gate. It's a great place to have your photo taken and an impressive place to enter the city.

It's a Baroque triumphal arch with pillars & ornate carving. The gate was constructed in 1724 on the orders of Grand Master de Vilhena.