St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina
| St Paul's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul | |
| Il-Katidral Metropolitan ta' San Pawl | |
|
Façade of the Cathedral | |
  St Paul's Cathedral | |
| 35°53′11″N 14°24′14″E / 35.88639°N 14.40389°E | |
| Location | Mdina |
| Country | Malta |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Website of the Cathedral |
| History | |
| Founded | 1697 |
| Dedication | 8 October 1702 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Cathedral and Parish Church |
| Architect(s) | Lorenzo Gafà |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Style | Baroque |
| Completed | 1702 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Imdina |
| Archdiocese | Malta |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Charles Scicluna |
| Rector | Anthony Vella |
St. Paul's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Mdina, in Malta. It is built on the site where governor Publius was reported to have met Saint Paul following his shipwreck off the Maltese coast.[1][2]
History
On the site of the church was the house of St. Publius. According to tradition, the first Cathedral of Malta was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and later dedicated to St.Paul, which at least existed since 1090. The cathedral was rebuilt after its destruction in the 1693 Sicily earthquake.[3]
The building we can see today was designed by the architect Lorenzo Gafa (Nicolas). It was built between 1697 and 1702 to replace the ruined Norman cathedral.[4] Despite this, several artifacts and edifices survived including the painting by the Calabrian artist Mattia Preti depicting the conversion of Saint Paul, a 15th-century Tuscan painting of the Madonna and Child, and frescoes in the apse which illustrate Paul's shipwreck.
Architecture
The architect Lorenzo Gafa designed the Cathedral in Baroque style. It sits at the end of a rectangular square. The facade is cleanly divided in three bays by the Corinthian order of pilasters. There are two bell towers at the both corners. The plan is a Latin cross with a vaulted nave, two aisles and two small side chapels. The Cathedral has a light octagonal dome, with eight stone scrolls above a high drum leading up to a neat lantern.
One of the main features of the interior is the rich colorful tessellated floor. Many of the furnishings of the cathedral, including the baptismal font and the portal, are carved out of Irish wood.[1]
The cathedral also has a substantial collection of silver plates and coins, and some carvings by the German artist Albrecht Dürer.
The cathedral is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[5]
Interior Gallery
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina. |
- 1 2 St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina. Sacred destinations.
- ↑ MacGill, Thomas (1839). A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta. Malta: Luigi Tonna. p. 96.
- ↑ "A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta", p. 93.
- ↑ "A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta", p. 93.
- ↑ "Cathedral of St Paul" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
Coordinates: 35°53′11″N 14°24′14″E / 35.88639°N 14.40389°E
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