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Churches of Malta - Mdina Cathedral
 The Mdina Cathedral is the real cathedral of Malta. Although we have St John's Co Cathedral, a diocese can only have one cathedral. St John's is called co-cathedral, because when the Knights of the Order of St John built their convent church they wanted to raise it to the status of a Cathedral. As two of the grandmasters later became popes they were granted this privilege and called their convent-church co-cathedral. In 1693 Mdina was hit by a severe earthquake and the cathedral which before was in an Apullian-Romanesque style was practically totally destroyed. When it was re-built between 1697 and 1702 it was built in Baroque style. Before the earthquake there was no square in front of the Cathedral but only a narrow street, like many of the streets one sees in Mdina. The square was opened in front of the cathedral to give the cathedral a more impressive facade, as baroque is always a dramatic style. The cathedral has two elegant belfries and six bells. On the top of the main door are three coat-of-arms. One belongs to Grandmaster Perellos, who paid for the building of the Cathedral, one is the coat-of-arms of Mdina and the last one is the coat-of-arms of the Bishop Torres, who opened the Cathedral. The only part of the cathedral, which survived the earthquake is the part behind the altar in the apses. There one can admire a beautiful painting by Mattia Preti, depicting the shipwreck of St Paul. The choir stalls behind the altar are very intricately carved and date back to the 16th century. From the 16th century is also the Baptismal Font at the back, with marble underneath and beautifully-carved wood on top. The grave-stones here are another work of art in themselves and show the bishops and noble families that are buried in the cathedral. In the Cathedral one can admire several beautiful monuments, of some important people who are buried here. The vault of the cathedral was painted by two Italian brothers by the name of Francesco and Antonio Manno. The pictures depict episodes from the life of St Paul, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated. The dome, probably one of the most elegant on the island, was painted by another Italian artist by the name of Gallucci. A few years ago the vault and dome were restored by a certain Samuel Bugeja from Sliema and he did a very fine job indeed. The Cathedral like most churches in Malta is in the shape of a Latin cross. On the left aisle, just before coming to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, one can still admire the original door of the Cathedral, which also survived the earthquake. It is a very fine specimen of a door made of wood brought from the Irish bogs. It is intricately carved and almost looks like bronze. As one moves on to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament top left, one can admire the tabernacle made in solid silver and the work of the well-known Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini. The icon of the Madonna above the tabernacle is attributed to St Luke. St Luke had suffered shipwreck along with St Paul in 60 AD according to the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible. St Luke was both a doctor and an artist. The flooring of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and of the chapel of the Holy Crucifix on the right-hand side have beautifully designed marble flooring, matching the ceiling and the beautiful wooden gates - the work of Felic Zahra a Maltese craftsman. The lamps are Venetian and the Organ is French. It is 300 years old and is still played to this very day. This church boasts very good acoustics. So does the square in front of the Cathedral and in summer when concerts are given in the open right in front of the Cathedral, the atmosphere is very impressive. This, of course, is just a very brief write-up of what one can admire in the Cathedral.
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