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 cells here once held Jean Parisot de la Valette for a few months for beating up a layperson. His punishment included two years service in Tripoli before he later became Grand Master. Particularly fascinating is the historic graffiti etched into the walls by the inmates, including crosses, ships, hands and the cross of the Knights.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Il-Kastell

0.03 MILES

While the walls surrounding Il-Kastell date from the 15th century, there have been fortifications atop this flat-topped hill since the Bronze Age: it…

2. Main Gate

0.03 MILES

Note the Roman inscription on the left-hand inner wall from the 2nd century AD.

3. Gozo Nature Museum

0.03 MILES

This gracious old building houses a series of low-key exhibits explaining the geology of the island and its water supply. There are some interesting…

4. Ċittadella Visitors' Centre

0.04 MILES

Inaugurated in mid-2016 as part of the excellent restoration of Victoria's Il-Kastell, this award-winning visitors' centre includes a poignant and…

5. Archaeology Museum

0.04 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…

6. Gran Castello Historic House

0.04 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…

7. Cathedral of the Assumption

0.04 MILES

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…

8. Chapel of St Joseph

0.05 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.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "malta/victoria-rabat/attractions/old-prison/a/poi-sig/1067888/1003872",
      "position": "superzone"
    }