Mosta Dome

Malta


The Parish Church of Santa Maria, better known as the Rotunda or Mosta Dome, was designed by the Maltese architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé and built (1833–60) using funds raised by the local people. It has a stunning blue, gold and white interior, where you can also see a replica of the bomb that fell through it in 1942 as around 300 parishioners waited to hear Mass. Miraculously, the bomb failed to detonate – a replica is to the left of the altar in the sacristy.

The church's circular design with a six-columned portico was closely based on the Pantheon in Rome, and the great dome – a prominent landmark (its external height is 61m) – is visible from most parts of Malta. With a diameter of 39.6m, it's one of the world's largest domes, though dome comparison is a tricky business: the parishioners of Xewkija on Gozo claim that their church has a bigger dome than Mosta's – although the Gozitan Rotunda has a smaller diameter (25m), it is higher and has a larger volumetric capacity. So there!


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Malta attractions

1. Palazzo Parisio

1.08 MILES

The glorious Palazzo Parisio was originally built in 1733 by Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, then acquired and refurbished by a Maltese noble…

2. Parish Church of Our Lady

1.11 MILES

The Parish Church of Our Lady is one of the tallest baroque edifices in Malta. Construction was started in the early years of the 16th century, according…

3. Malta Aviation Museum

1.19 MILES

This is aircraft-enthusiast heaven, located on the former site of the Royal Air Force station, with stars of the show including a WWII Spitfire Mk IX and…

4. Ta'Qali Crafts Village

1.26 MILES

The arts and crafts workshops at Ta'Qali have been traditionally housed in old Nissen huts on this WWII RAF airfield, but they received a modern and…

5. Church of St Saviour

1.3 MILES

Lija’s Church of St Saviour, designed in 1694, has one of Malta' earliest domes. It's the focus of the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, a lively…

6. Villa Bologna

1.48 MILES

This baroque, 18th-century mansion in Attard, still owned and inhabited by the same family who built it, has wonderful gardens with greenery that is like…

7. Church of St Mary

1.64 MILES

The Church of St Mary in Attard, designed by Tommaso Dingli and built between 1613 and 1616, is one of the finest Renaissance churches in Malta.

8. San Anton Palace & Gardens

1.66 MILES

The early-17th-century San Anton Palace in Attard was the country mansion of Grand Master Antoine de Paule. It served as the official residence of the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "malta/mosta/attractions/mosta-dome/a/poi-sig/1136473/1003871",
      "destination": "Malta",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Malta",
      "position": "superzone"
    }