Built between 1697 and 1711 to replace a church destroyed by a 1693 earthquake (which was in southern Italy but caused damage as far Gozo), the cathedral was designed by Lorenzo Gafa, also responsible for St Paul's Cathedral at Mdina. The elegant facade is adorned with the escutcheons of Grand Master Ramon de Perellos and Bishop Palmieri. Due to a lack of funds the dome was never finished, but a trompe l'œil painting makes it look as if it were.
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Cathedral of the Assumption
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.89 MILES
The megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim (adge-ar eem; 'standing stones') and Mnajdra (mm-nigh-dra) are the best preserved and most evocative of Malta's…
18.43 MILES
The stern exterior of the 16th-century Grand Master's Palace conceals a sumptuous interior. This was once the residence of the Grand Masters of the…
18.4 MILES
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19.3 MILES
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21.68 MILES
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Fort St Elmo & National War Museum
18.52 MILES
Guarding Marsamxett and Grand Harbours is Fort St Elmo, named after the patron saint of mariners. The fort was built by the Knights in 1552 in just four…
National Museum of Archaeology
18.34 MILES
The National Museum of Archaeology is housed in the impressive Auberge de Provence. Exhibits include delicate stone tools dating from 5200 BC, Phoenician…
14.35 MILES
The cathedral is said to be built on the site of the villa belonging to Publius, the Roman governor of Malta who welcomed St Paul in AD 60.
Nearby attractions
0.02 MILES
This jumble of objects within the Cathedral Museum includes a zucchetto (skull cap) worn by Pope Francis, church gold and silver, some religious art …
0.02 MILES
There is a good panorama from here. Look for the huge dome of the Rotunda at Xewkija, with Comino and Malta in the background; the distant Gothic spire of…
3. Gran Castello Historic House
0.03 MILES
This folklore museum is a lovely maze of stairs, rooms and courtyards. The fine, rambling old building itself, dating to 1500, houses a collection of…
4. Ċitadella Centre for Culture & Art
0.03 MILES
Occasional exhibitions in a former prison building. Stop in to admire paintings, photographs and other local artworks.
0.03 MILES
Victoria's Archaeology Museum houses some incredible finds. There are some 'fat lady' carvings from Ġgantija Temples and Xagħra, around 3000 to 4000 years…
0.04 MILES
Note the Roman inscription on the left-hand inner wall from the 2nd century AD.
0.04 MILES
Renaissance chapel originally dedicated to St Nicholas. It was built in 1625 on the site of another more simple chapel already dedicated to the saint.
0.04 MILES
The Old Prison served as a jail from the late 1500s to 1904, and proved particularly useful for locking up hot-tempered Knights until they cooled off. The…
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