No visit to Malta is complete unless you visit Mdina's Cathedral, a huge reconstructed edifice that crowns the steep hill on which the city was raised up. While going uphill by bus towards Rabat, look on your right and you will be rewarded with an excellent view of the cathedral's dome and backside projecting over Mdina's east defensive walls. This postcard-pretty display of architectural beauty and outstanding stonework is particularly impressive after sunset when the cathedral's red-roofed dome and the underlying fortifications are illuminated by spotlights.
Dedicated to St.Paul, Mdina's Cathedral stands on the site of a former house that belonged to Malta's Roman governor Publius who was converted to Christianity by St.Paul in A.D.60. When Count Roger the Norman conquered Malta in 1090, he started work on the city. The former house of Publius was immediately replaced by a medium-sized basilica, a church with two side aisles, each separated from the nave by a row of eight Corinthian columns. Enlarged later with a transept and a choir, it was the only significant medieval church on the island. Unluckily, a great earthquake devastated Malta in 1693 and demolished extensively Count Roger's basilica. Though most of the artistic works inside were destroyed and lost for ever, a handful still remain. A couple of these are now on display inside the cathedral while the others are preserved inside the Cathedral's Treasury, forming part of a priceless collection of antique works of sacred art.
Work on the present cathedral, designed by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa started in 1697. Completed after 5 years, it is Gafa's Baroque masterpiece. Having acquired a great deal of practical experience after designing and constructing a number of churches elsewhere, Gafa realized that a cathedral within an old capital should be monumental and imposing but not ostentatious and gaudy. To produce a balance between greatness and austerity, he designed a massive facade of exact proportions, decorated with plain unfluted pilasters and crowned with a simple raking pediment. The large areas of masonry between adjacent pilasters was left undecorated. The dominating centrepiece is set slightly forward from the side wings which carry two richly sculptured squat towers. All is set on an elevated plateau above the level of the sloping square. This simple but imposing facade attains perfection when viewed as a foreground to the cathedral's impressive dome, a wonderful octagonal structure supported on serried rows of coupled pilasters and decorated with massive folding scrolls.
Lovers of church architecture will definitely admire the cathedral's exterior for its simple but imposing design. More admirable is however the cathedral's vast interior which houses lavish displays of marble, splendid ceiling frescoes and a profusion of artistic works in silver and wood.
The cathedral welcomes visitors daily when there is no church service. This is usually between 9:30am and 5pm. On Sundays and public holidays, church service continues up to noon and so try to refrain from visiting on these days. No guides are available to show you around and entry is free of charge but donations for the upkeep of the cathedral are welcome.
Once inside, the first thing that strikes the attention of visitors is the splendid array of fine marble tombstones that cover completely the floor of the cathedral. Decorated with coloured inserts of rich Italian marble and artistic displays of first-class workmanship, they echo more than 300 years of history. Examine the epitaphs written in Latin on the gravestones and you will find out numerous names of former Maltese bishops, barons and noblemen who have in some way or another contributed towards the embellishment of the cathedral.
Take your time to explore the magnificent frescoes that fill up the ribbed ceiling of the cathedral. The monumental altarpieces that decorate the high altar and the side chapels are equally impressive. The artistic fresco covering the semi-dome of the apse is 'The Shipwreck of St.Paul' by Mattia Preti, a great Italian artist whose works compel respect, admiration and excitement. The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament located at the far end of the right aisle is adorned with a lighter ceiling composition painted by the Maltese artist Francesco Zahra. Choirs and hosts of angels invade the chapel's hemispherical dome while biblical episodes related to the Holy Eucharist fill up all the remaining spaces, creating together an aura of reverence and celestial bliss. Also by Francesco Zahra is the fresco that adorns the ceiling of the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix. Darker and more dramatic than that found inside the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, it depicts the Blessed Trinity set against a glowing golden yellow sky. A sense of glory is emphasized by a plethora of saints in various poses of adoration. Among these are St.Peter and St.Paul, both in brightly coloured attires and easily recognizable. Piled tier upon tier, other groups of saints that include the evangelists Luke and Matthew, St.Joseph and St.John the Baptist impart an atmosphere of exuberance and opulence to the whole scenario.
One of the most interesting and historical items you can still see inside the cathedral is a silver processional cross of medieval workmanship. Brought here by the Knights of St.John after being compelled to leave Rhodes, this cross is said to have accompanied Godfrey de Bouillon in 1099 on his entry into Jerusalem during the First Crusade. It is a genuine piece of old artistic silverware that demands more than a brief look. More cherished than this both for its historic and aesthetic values is a unique icon of Our Lady, reputedly painted by St.Luke the evangelist. Placed above the altar in the chapel to the left of the apse, it is adorned with jewelled encrustations that have been added as votive donations over the years by devotees of Our Lady. One more appealing item that visitors shouldn't miss is the original 900 year-old door that leads into the cathedral's vestry. Carved from Irish bog-wood and adorned with strange unusual symbols, it dates back to Count Roger's earlier basilica.
After touring the cathedral, cross Archbishop street and make your way towards the Cathedral's Treasury. Housed inside a former seminary, it is unquestionably Mdina's best museum. The building itself is worth exploring for its wealth of distinctive architectural features and interesting characteristics.
More impressive are the outstanding exhibits, a source of delight for lovers of history and culture. The section dedicated to Roman antiquities boasts numerous original documents dating back to the time of the Inquisition. An abundance of impressive coin collections that include coins used in Malta 5 centuries ago will definitely strike the attention of numismatists and historians alike. The most valuable pieces however are the items that were saved either from the 1693 earthquake or from the 1798 French looting when a large number of ecclesiastical treasures were seized and taken over by Napoleon to France. Worthy of mention are a splendid set of 12 large solid silver figures of the apostles and a remarkable Renaissance flagon ascribed to the famous artist Benvenuto Cellini. Equally impressive is a grand silver altar front adorned with a profusion of studded jewels and precious stones. The Albrecht Durer collection is obviously a source of inspiration for lovers of classic art. It contains a wide range of original Durer woodcuts, woodcarvings and engravings.
A visit to this museum is a must.