Cathedral Museum, Mdina

The building that houses the Cathedral Museum, in Mdina, was built in the early 18th century as a seminary for the diocese. It stands a few steps away from the Mdina cathedral itself.

The Cathedral Museum was founded here in 1969 in order to better protect and present the venerable collection of artistic, historical and archaeological objects that had been accumulated by the cathedral, forming the foremost ecclesiastical collection in the country.

Among the many highlights of the museum's collections, one finds fragments of the medieval cathedral that was destroyed as a result of the earthquake of 1693, as well as the old cathedral's altarpiece, dating from around 1400, which depicts various episodes from the life of St Paul.

The museum also holds a series of woodcuts by Dürer and engravings by Rembrandt, illuminated choir books, an important collection of music manuscripts, and a comprehensive collection of coins.

The view shown below is taken from within the original 18th-century octagonal chapel on the piano nobile of the seminary.

Two galleries may be seen stretching away through the open doorways. The one on the left houses part of the museum's collection of easel paintings, while the one on the right houses church vestments.

This series is appearing every Saturday in collaboration with Miranda Publishers. Photo taken from Museums of Malta 360°, launched by Miranda on Thursday.

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