ANCIENT MDINA, THE SILENT CITY
This tour will take us to the cities of Mdina, Rabat & Mosta and includes the sites:
• Mdina, the Silent City
• Mosta Church & Rotunda
• Rabat Village
Mdina
The history of Mdina, known as “The Silent City”, and its suburb Rabat is as old as the history of Malta itself. Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital city, possesses origins that can be traced back more than 4,000 years. Rabat can claim the origins of Maltese Christianity and it was here in 60 AD that the Apostle Saint Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. Both Mdina and Rabat are fascinating for their timeless atmosphere and their cultural and religious treasures.
Mdina was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families and these impressive palaces line Mdina’s narrow, shady streets. Mdina is one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and unusual in its mix of medieval and Baroque architecture.
Mosta Church & Rotunda
The magnificent Mosta Church boasts the third largest unsupported dome in the world dedicated to the Assumption. The church is also known as the Rotunda of Santa Marija Assunta. Mosta residents, at that time totaling not more than 1500, built this spectacular church with their own hands. It took them 27 years to complete and the result is a tourist attraction of world standard.
On 9 April 1942 the church was nearly destroyed during World War 2. An Axis bomb pierced the dome of the church but failed to explode. The detonator was removed and a replica bomb is now displayed as a memorial.