Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of Mdina, consecrated in honor of St. Paul, is the fourth building to appear on this site. In general, the site on which the main Catholic church of the city stands is covered with legends. They say that it was here that the villa of the Roman Publius stood, where the Apostle Paul stayed, who came to Malta due to a shipwreck. Publius was baptized by Paul and became the first bishop of Malta. Then, on the site of the villa in the 4th century, the inhabitants built a small, modest church. Several centuries later, it was replaced by a majestic temple built by Roger of Normandy.
The Cathedral of Mdina was built conscientiously and, most likely, would have survived to our time, if not for the devastating earthquake of 1693. According to local historians, only the altar survived from the temple, around which, with the help of the architect Lorenzo Gaf, the construction of a new cathedral began. It was built in the Baroque style and is adorned with two towers with dials on each. Some clocks of the cathedral show the time, while others show the day and month of the year. Thus, the inhabitants tried to confuse the devil and prevent him from harming the good townspeople.
When the foundations of the old church were being dismantled, they found a treasure with coins, which were just enough for the construction of a new church. The majestic dome of the cathedral has been decorated many times. The frescoes that we see now were made during the restoration of the 1950s. From the destroyed Norman cathedral, they were able to transfer to the new one the most valuable painting of the famous Maltese man Mattia Preti, which depicts the Conversion of St. Paul. In addition, a 15th century canvas with the Virgin Mary holding a little Jesus and wall paintings in the apse have survived. As in other churches in Malta, the floor of the cathedral is paved with tombstones of the noble knights of the Order of St. John. All of them are decorated with coats of arms, family mottos, epitaphs, images on the theme of death.
