Malta Tours

Full day (7/8 hours) tour
'Churches & Sanctuaries of Malta'
Mosta Dome, Mellieha Sanctuary, Wayside Chapels,
St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's Shipwreck Church &
St. John's Co. Cathedral



As this is a private tour the itinerary below can be customised to your specifications.

Even the less religiously inclined cannot deny that the Maltese Islands have amazing churches and cathedrals. Our tour includes a variety of these sacred sites where you can also admire the treasures and appreciate the magnificent architecture. We include visits to:
Mosta Church The magnificent church of Mosta is famous for two reasons - it has one of the largest unsupported domes in the world and in 1942, during WWII, a bomb was dropped on the Dome whilst the local attended a church service. The bomb pierced dome and landed inside the church, however it did not explode. The locals hailed this as a miracle and when you visit the church you can see a replica of the bomb.  
The Mellieha Sanctuary According to very old tradition, the highly venerated sanctuary of the Nativity of Our Lady of Mellieha was blessed by St. Paul the Apostle. The same tradition would have it that the icon of Our Lady painted on the bare rock is the work of St. Luke the Evangelist.
Wayside Chapels During our tour we will come across a number of small wayside chapels. They are a distinctive mark of the Maltese landscape, some excavated in the rock, other decorated with medieval affrescoes, most of a rustic baroque character. They can be found in the centre of the older villages, in very rural areas, on top of cliffs and almost anywhere really.
St. Paul's Cathedral The original 11th century Cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, this was replaced by the Cathedral we can see today. What is particularly interesting is that it is believed to stand on the site originally occupied by the residence of Publius, the Roman Governor at the time of St. Paul's stay on the island (AD60), who eventually became the first Bishop of Malta.
St. Paul's Shipwreck Church The church contains impressive vault paintings which portray episodes in the life of St. Paul stay in Malta. There is also a magnificent wooden statue of the apostle and two very important relics - a wrist bone of St. Paul and a piece of the column on which he was beheaded.
St. John's Co. Cathedral. The Conventual Church of the Knights conceals a number of invaluable treasures behind the sober facade. The cathedral has eight chapels, dedicated to the different languages of the Order. The cathedral has a numerous treasures including the ornate marble tombstones which form the floor of the cathedral, the vault was painted by Mattia Pretti and the must see paintings by Caravaggio including "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist and Saint Jerome, both masterpieces.