Mdina Attractions

The former Maltese capital of Mdina (pop. 930), picturesquely situated on a hill in the southwest of the island is a place which the modern age seems to have passed by.

Archbishop's Palace

The present building was constructed in the wake of the 1693 earthquake. Mdina was the seat of the bishops of Malta until 1816 when St John's in Valletta became the Co-Cathedral. The bishops, appointees of the kingdom of Spain and the grand inquisitor, himself a Papal appointee - were often vocal and powerful irritants to the Order's power. The French General Vaubois dined here in 1798 as the guest of his conquered enemy.

Banca Giuratale

This "Municipal Palace" was built in 1730 as a records office and is still used for this purpose. It is an exquisite example of Baroque handiwork. Two stories of crisp detail, florid carving and elaborate windows are set beneath two equally elaborate corners of what look like limestone flowerpots of dotty ornaments.

Carmelite Church

This church, completed in 1600, and its associated monastery are also known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites were a Sicilian Order who came to Malta in 1370. Designed by Francesco Sammut and 12 years in the construction, the interior with its seven altars and Palladian pilasters under an oval and well-lit nave-cum-dome is unexpectedly rich, despite the French army's looting of the church in 1798 to fund Napoleon's war efforts.

Casa Inguanez

Occupying an entire block, Casa Inguanez has been the Inguanez home since the 14th C. Citto Gatto was named a baron in 1350 for quelling an uprising of the Gozitans against their Aragonese masters, and his direct descendants, the Inquanex, are the oldest of Malta's noble families. In 1432 King Alfonso V of Aragon stayed here, as did Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1927.

Casa Testaferrata

The Testaferrata family still lives behind the red main door. The Marquisate was created by Grand Master Pinto in 1745.

Read More Chapel of St Agatha

Chapel of St Nicholas

This is one of the oldest and tranquil quartiers, built in 1550 and many of the 16th and 17th C. buildings have survived. The little chapel was remodeled in 1698.

Chapel of St Roque

St Roque is the patron saint of diseases, often invoked during the plague-infested 14th-19th centuries when the sick would congregate and pray for their succor. The earlier chapel of St Roque was demolished and this one was built in 1798.

Feast of St Peter and St Paul

This feast, celebrating the summer harvest, takes place every year from June 28 - June 29. There are donkey and bare-back horse races, as well as feasts of rabbit dishes.

The festival takes place on the Siggiewi Road.

Fontanella

This is a refuge for light refreshment at the very edge of the north bastion.

Herald's Loggia

From the security of the upper floor of this building, the herald or town crier would shout out the orders for the day to those who gathered in the small square formed by the Xara Palace Hotel and the Corte Capitanale. The orders, known as bandi, where issued by the Universita and are preserved in the Cathedral Museum.

House of Notary Bezzina

Nearly opposite the Banca Giuratal is this quaint house where, in 1798, French officer Captain Masson was pitched off the balcony to his death by a bloodthirsty Maltese mob, after his countrymen's attempt to auction off the plundered treasures of the Carmelite church.

Howard Gardens

Named after Malta's first prime minister, the gardens were made public in 1924 and ramble down towards the Roman villa. The old cross is said to have been a gift from Count Roger the Norman, to celebrate the reinstatement of Christianity after he took the islands from the Arabs.

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Open	10:30	10:30	10:30	10:30	10:30	Closed	Closed
Close	16:00	16:00	16:00	16:00	16:00

Read More Museum of Natural History

Norman House

In 1530 the first of Malta's grand masters, the Frenchman L'Isle Adam, received the keys to the city here after the knights were given the islands by Charles V. The building is in fact medieval not Norman and, in keeping with medieval design, the living quarters were on the second floor - the ground floor was for kitchens, stables, etc. - hence the more intricate arched windows with their colonettes above the twin cornice of triangular corbels. There is a small private museum on the ground floor.

Hours

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Open	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00
Close	13:00	13:00	13:00	13:00	13:00	13:00	13:00
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Close	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00

Nunnery and Chapel of St Benedict (St Peter)

The building dates from the 15th C., as does the Benedictine community. The Order is a very strict and devout one: no man is allowed into the convent without the bishop's permission, with the exception of a doctor and, traditionally, the whitewasher who in times of plague would disinfect the walls; nor are any of the 20 or so nuns allowed out. Until 1974, even after a nun had died she had to be buried within the grounds of the convent. The chapel was restored in 1625 and the altarpiece is another work by Preti.

Palazzo Gatto Murina

Tucked away in Gatto Murina Street, the early 15th C. palazzo has a fine example of restored arched windows above strident arcaded coursework. The eponymous murina or lamprey motif is set above the spindly colonettes. The building is off Mewquita Street.

Palazzo Santa Sophia

This is considered the oldest building in Malta. The date on the plaque of this manor says the structure dates from 1233 but this may be unreliable. The upper floor was added in 1938.

Signal Tower of the Standard

This tower was once a guard house and is now the police station. The original 16th C. building formed part of the island's chain of signaling stations.

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