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As I mentioned earlier, St. Paul’s Cathedral was the main place of worship in Malta and seat of the Archbishopric of Malta until the construction of St. John’s in Valletta which led to a sharing of the title of Cathedral in Malta between the Co-Cathedrals of St. Paul’s and St. John’s.The church is said to have been built on the site of a villa owned by the Roman Publius, who was the Maltese Governor in AD60. The original church was badly damaged by an earthquake and the present day church was rebuilt in the Baroque style between 1697 and 1702.
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Gozo was the highlight of our trip to Malta. Our only regret was not going sooner because we only went to Gozo on the final day of our trip and would definitely have either returned or stayed a night if we had gone sooner or had more time.
Gozo is infinitely more relaxed and laid-back than neighbouring Malta and gives a real insight and impression into what Maltese life was like in the past. From the peaceful main town of Victoria (Rabat) to the stunning coastal scenery at Ta’ Cenc and Dwejra all coupled with friendly locals, Gozo is one of the country’s best assets. Gozo also possesses a slice of the country’s famous megalithic past with the ancient temples at Xaghra among the country’s best.
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Malta’s National Maritime Museum is located in Vittoriosa and opens directly onto the wharf. The building itself was constructed in the 1840’s and housed the Naval bakery. Didn’t actually go into the museum as maritime and naval history doesn’t really appeal to me but for anyone who is the museum contains exhibits of models of the Kinghts Ships, Traditonal Maltese fishing boats, Roman naval artefacts as well as old naval instruments....yeah I know, didn’t sound too interesting to me either, but who am I to judge :)
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Mosta isn’t the most interesting of Malta’s towns save for one saving grace, the Rotunda. The Rotunda, also known as the Mosta Dome is one of Malta’s most famous symbols. The church itself was built between 1833 and 1860 and was funded by the local people. The interior of the church is said to be beautiful but we weren’t appropriately dressed (see local customs) so we didn’t enter. We did see what we came to see though, which is the huge dome of the church, which is one of Europe’s largest, only being outsized by the Pantheon and St. Peter’s in Rome. The dome is 61metres high and has a diameter of 40 metres. The dome can be spotted at various points all over the island of Malta.
Inside the church is a replica of a bomb which fell through the dome of the church during a bombing attack by German forces on the 9th of June, 1942. Miraculously, the bomb failed to explode. Two other bombs which were dropped at the same time, harmlessly bounced off the roof of the church without exploding too! This event has become known as the miracle of Mosta. Directions: Take bus 47, 49 or 58 from Valletta or 65 from St. Julian’s/Sliema. Bus 86 will take you to Mosta from Bugibba.
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St. Julian’s is one of Malta’s tourist resort hubs and due to this has been the site of some of the country’s most recent development. There isn’t much of interest to see here (apart from the 17th century Palazzo Spinola and the pretty Spinola Harbour) but there are lots of good restaurants and busy bars around the area. Paceville is where to head if you are looking for a lively nightscene and around Spinola Bay if you are looking for good dining. We visited St. Julian’s purely for the nightlife as Valletta (where we were staying) is very quiet and subdued at night, but other than that, St. Julian’s doesn’t offer much for visitors, especially during the day. The area is filled with high rise apartment blocks and expensive hotels. The most luxurious development is the Portomaso Marina and Apartment complex where you find a variety of expensive restaurants. Not the best impression of Malta and wouldn’t stay here if you gave me a place for free! Directions: Take bus 64, 68, 671, 62, 662 or 671 from Valletta
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The Church of St. Lawrence in Vittorisa was once the primary place of worship for the Knights of St. Jihn, before they built St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta. The Church was built in 1530 and replaced an earlier 11th century church built by the Normans.
Outside the church is a memorial to mark the withdrawl of the British from Malta in 1979. The memorial shows sculptures of British soldiers taking down the British Flag and raising the Maltese one and a British Soldier saying goodbye to a Maltese girl. Address: St. Lorenzo WharfDirections: The church is located about halfway along the western front of the peninsula, just before the gate towards the Maritime Museum
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This ridiculously over-priced audio visual show is located in an underground chamber near fort St. Elmo and the Sacra Infermia and the 45 minute show gives an overview of Malta’s interesting history. The show is a worthwhile show to take in, especially if you don’t know much about the countries history but really is too expensive. At €10 I really think it’s too expensive for what you get but is a good way to get an insight into Malta’s past and the events that shaped the country’s culture and society.
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Tickets for entry to the Cathedral can be bought in the Cathedral Museum to the side of the Cathedral and the price also includes entry to the museum itself so is worth a look. The building itself is a former seminary built in the 18th century and contains many important religious artefacts including old vestements and manuscripts as well as artwork and masonry which survived the earthquake. The museum also contains a collection of the woodcut and copperplate prints and lithograhs of the famous German artist, Albrecht Durer.
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Floriana extends from Valetta main gate to the west and is mainly a residential, business and administrative district but does have a splattering of interesting sights, with the Church of St. Publius, War Memorial, Sarria Chapel all scattered between the well laid out gardens stemming from the bus terminus. Floriana is also the location of the Malta botanical gardens to the south of the city. Reaching the outer floriana fortified walls you will pass through a stone gate, Porte des Bombes, dating from 1697 which marks the entrance/exit to Floriana. One of Malta’s newer and modern developments is located in Floriana. The Pinto Wharf is built on the eastern side of Floriana on the Grand Harbour side and has revamped the former, rather run-down dockside area, into a fashionable district of bars, restaurants, cafes and residential apartmerts.
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Two more of Malta’s megalithic temples are located just north of the Blue Grotto in Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. These temples are some of Malta’s best preserved temples. When we visited the temples themselves were closed for conservation and preservation work and there is a support structure shielding and protecting the temples. However, visitors can still approach the temples and you can get a good view of the temples from the path leading up to them. The temporary roofing and support system does detract alittle from the temples but the work being carried out is essential for the conservation and preservation of these ancient wonders and should be appreciated. The temples of Mnajdra is under similar preservation work and is also overshadowed by a support ‘roof’. Some of Malta’s so called ‘fat lady’ statues were found at Hagar Qim and can be viewed at Valletta’s Archaeological Museum. Directions: Buses 38 or 138 will take you to Hagar Qim. The walk along the coast from the Blue Grotto takes only around 20 minutes.
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on May 10, 2009
