Mdina (Part 1)

It was Ollie and Sheena’s first time living on a yacht but they got to grips with the fun of marine toilets and showering on board admirably. With drinks on board, a stroll to the tip of Senglea to view the harbour at sunset and a meal at restaurant overlooking the marina we all thoroughly enjoyed Ollie and Sheena’s first night on board.  So, following the inevitable ‘first night madness’, breakfast was taken at a more measured pace and we only really started to get going in the morning when the hire car was delivered at 1000.

Bird’s eye plan of Mdina   

Main gate to Mdina (1724) built by the Knights   

Our mission for the day was to visit Mdina. During the mediaeval period Mdina was the seat of the municipal government and administrative centre. It was also a defensive position where the islanders could seek refuge if the island was under attack. Despite Mdina sitting on the more easily defended high ground, when the Knights of St John arrived in 1530, they realized that they would be better placed by establishing themselves in the castle by the harbour where their galleys were moored.

The defences at Mdina were ‘beefed up’ by the Knights but largely they left the town and its aristocratic inhabitants undisturbed. When Valletta was built and became the Maltese capital in 1571, Mdina was relegated to being the Città Vecchia (the old city). Some of the aristocrats moved to Valletta but many did not which is why so many of the 14^th and 15^th century houses and palaces survive.

We wandered around the narrow streets enjoying looking at the grand buildings and courtyards tucked away behind typical Maltese doorways.

Our wanderings inevitably brought us to the city walls which gave us fabulous panoramic views across the island.

Cathedral Museum   

After one circuit of the city we arrived in Archbishop Square and made our way into the Cathedral Museum. This rather grand building was completed in 1744 as a Diocesan Seminary. In 1969 it became the museum and now contains a huge collection of silver religious artefacts, paintings and sculptures. There are also rare original Papal Bulls (directives) and other historical records. Sadly, photography is not permitted in the museum.

We came out of the Cathedral Museum and walked across San Pawl to get a better view of the cathedral.

St Paul’s Cathedral   

This is not the original cathedral; a severe earthquake on 11 January 1693 almost completely destroyed the old cathedral and so this new one in baroque style was built to replace it. Amazingly, the plans for the new cathedral had already been drawn up and approved eight months before the earthquake took place and so building was able to commence straight away. They must have regarded the earthquake as divine intervention. The new cathedral was completed in October 1702 and, fortunately, the fine paintings by Mattia Preti from the old cathedral had survived and were installed.

Inside the cathedral, the floor is decorated with ornate marble tombstones similar to those that we had seen in St John’s Cathedral, except that they were for previous Bishops rather than knights. Very quickly, however, those were all but forgotten when we got far enough in to look up at the ceiling.

The baroque style is just so amazingly over the top but the whole effect is breath-taking.

Mdina, Malta