Home to those early defenders of Christendom, the Hospitaller Knights of St John, the Islands are rich in religious history. The Maltese Islanders are among the oldest Christian peoples in the world. St Paul, shipwrecked as a captive on route to Rome in A.D. 60, brought Christianity to Malta. His steps can be retraced in the shrines, grottos and catacombs of Rabat and in the ancient capital Mdina.There are 365 churches and chapels scattered throughout the Islands and you can usually find the centre of any town or village by driving towards the parish church, although many usually have two or more churches and chapels. You can’t help but notice the Islands’ Baroque churches, their red or silver painted domes in relief against the skyline. They form an integral part of the Islands’ countryside, dominate village squares and are at the heart of Maltese social and cultural life. The festa in honour of the parish patron saint is celebrated as strongly as ever. Each church is an architectural masterpiece with its own distinct style and each has its own history and houses unique relics and treasures. Marble and crystal chandeliers, paintings, frescos, and tapestries are very common in older churches. Statues of saints and the Virgin Mary are also very prominent in most churches. As the limestone is soft and easy to work with, Maltese sculptors, architects, builders and artisans have been able to create adornments with intricate sculptures inside and out of the churches of Malta and Gozo.Perhaps most intriguing of all religious sites are the small, wayside chapels. Some are excavated in the rock; others cling to cliffs. All are places of quiet contemplation. History & ArchitectureThe Knights of St John brought much-needed funds to the Islands and the impetus to build more elaborate churches. Many of the older, simple medieval chapels were pulled down or developed in the baroque parish churches we see today.Although the Knights arrived in 1530, it was around half century before they began to build the parish churches we see today. Their first concern had been to fortify the Islands against further Saracen attacks and to build Valletta. The Golden Age of peace and prosperity that followed the Great Siege in 1565, saw riches from Europe flow into Malta to build and endow Malta’s churches.St John’s Cathedral is the highlight of the Maltese Islands. Home to two of Caravaggio's most impressive work "St. Jerome" and "The Beheading of St. John Baptist", this cathedral of the Knights of St John is a must to visit. The austere facade is reminiscent of the fortifications of Valletta, the fortress city in which it stands; while the exuberant and lavish baroque interior shows the Knights’ deep appreciation and patronage of culture and the arts. The main period of church building was from the 17th – 18th centuries when Italian baroque style flourished. The main architect of the time was Lorenzo Gafa', a Maltese trained in Rome. Gafa’ was to design some of Malta’s most impressive Baroque churches. His favoured style of elegant domes and majestic exteriors is the symbol of Maltese baroque. Among his finest are the Mdina Cathedral and Gozo Cathedral, as well as the church of St. Lawrence in Vittoriosa.The 19th and 20th centuries also saw considerable additions to existing Baroque churches and the building of neo-gothic churches, such as the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mgarr, Gozo. A major church built in the late 19th century is the rotunda: the Church of St Mary in Mosta, also known as “The Mosta Dome”.
Home to those early defenders of Christendom, the Hospitaller Knights of St John, the Islands are rich in religious history. The Maltese Islanders are among the oldest Christian peoples in the world. St Paul, shipwrecked as a captive on route to Rome in A.D. 60, brought Christianity to Malta. His steps can be retraced in the shrines, grottos and catacombs of Rabat and in the ancient capital Mdina.There are 365 churches and chapels scattered throughout the Islands and you can usually find the centre of any town or village by driving towards the parish church, although many usually have two or more churches and chapels. You can’t help but notice the Islands’ Baroque churches, their red or silver painted domes in relief against the skyline. They form an integral part of the Islands’ countryside, dominate village squares and are at the heart of Maltese social and cultural life. The festa in honour of the parish patron saint is celebrated as strongly as ever. Each church is an architectural masterpiece with its own distinct style and each has its own history and houses unique relics and treasures. Marble and crystal chandeliers, paintings, frescos, and tapestries are very common in older churches. Statues of saints and the Virgin Mary are also very prominent in most churches. As the limestone is soft and easy to work with, Maltese sculptors, architects, builders and artisans have been able to create adornments with intricate sculptures inside and out of the churches of Malta and Gozo.Perhaps most intriguing of all religious sites are the small, wayside chapels. Some are excavated in the rock; others cling to cliffs. All are places of quiet contemplation.