Architecture,  History,  Malta,  Monday walks

The charm of Mdina

July 22, 2025 / 46 Comments

Mdina, the former capital of Malta, carries the weight of its long history. Protected by its ancient walls the centre has remained largely untouched by modernity. Winding streets are lined with a mix of baroque and medieval architecture. There are churches and grand palaces interspersed with more modest homes, all of them beautiful.

The small city is enclosed by walls, and unusually compared to most walled cities, has never spread beyond them. It has a population of just 250, which must surely make it one of the least populated cities in the world?

View from the ramparts

This Monday Walk will, I’m afraid, be barely a walk at all. A rather too leisurely lunch on our island tour had spilled well into the afternoon. Virtual Tourist Euromeet goers are a sociable lot, and when we only see each other once a year, or even less often, there is always a lot to talk about. Add to that an excellent four course meal of traditional Maltese dishes and you can see why lunch took so long.

In the end we had less than an hour here. And while I did follow our guide Tony for much of that time, I confess I didn’t take in much of his explanations as I was too busy grabbing as many photos as I could in the time! So while I’ve since identified a couple of the buildings I photographed, unusually for me I haven’t done loads of research into them. Instead I want to share the sights without much commentary, just as I experienced them.

Inside the city walls

We entered through the old gate (photo above), on foot as no vehicles are allowed inside. As a consequence it is often dubbed the ‘Silent City’.

I was immediately charmed by the soft tones of the local stone, the narrow winding lanes and wonderful architecture.

Mdina scenes and details

Grand palaces and churches

I have identified a couple of the grander buildings using Google Lens. The Casa Gourgion (on the right and top left below) was a 19th century nobleman’s house and is now a museum, so it’s possible to see inside. And apparently you can even stay there! And the Palazz Vilhena (bottom left) was built in the 18th century for the then Grand Master, António Manoel de Vilhena. It later served as a hospital and sanitorium, and today houses the National Museum of Natural History.

Palazz Vilhena and Casa Gourgion

A couple of churches stood out. The Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady is a Carmelite church built between 1660 and 1675. It briefly served as the city’s cathedral after the latter was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake.

The Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady

The cathedral is dedicated to St Paul and was rebuilt by 1702. Frescoes on the ceiling depict scenes from the saint’s life. Unfortunately there was no time to see inside, even though the cathedral doors stood open. I really liked the carving on those doors by the way.  

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

If you’d like to see the interior that I missed, there are some good photos of those frescoes, and many other details, on the cathedral website: https://metropolitanchapter.com/mdina-metropolitan-cathedral/discover-the-cathedral/architecture/the-main-nave/.

The doors of Mdina

Mdina is particularly noted for its ornate door knockers and beautiful doors.

The doors of Mdina

I’ll finish with a few more details that caught my eye, including an old British letter box from the reign of Edward VII (ruled 1901-1910). It is still clearly in use by Malta Post.

If I ever get back to Malta, Mdina will be top of my must-see list!

I visited Mdina in May 2025

46 Comments

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