Mdina, the ancient city known also as Citta Vecchia and Citta Notabile, is packed with history and artistic splendour. Wander down its beguiling narrow streets and watch different cultures unfold, stretching from the Phoenicians to the Romans to the medieval overlords down to the Knights’ glorious period immortalised by an exquisite painting by Antoine de Favary (1706-1791) of L’Isle Adam, the first Grand Master, receiving the symbolical keys of Mdina.
Melita, as Mdina was then called, must have had one of the earliest churches in Christendom
Undoubtedly, Mdina is one of Malta’s oldest and finest cities which has experienced the European ethos for centuries, disturbed only by the Arab conquest in AD870, who paradoxically gave Mdina and its suburb of Rabat their present names.
As you gently stroll along this walled city, particularly at dusk, memories of its rich past haunt you, contributing to a unique experience representing a span of 5,000 years of history. As it stands majestically on a high plateau in the centre of Malta, Mdina has exercised various roles throughout the centuries.
It was undoubtedly the hub of Maltese civil and ecclesiastical life, particularly during the pre-Knights period when the Università (Municipal Council) and the Cathedral enjoyed a pre-eminent position on the island.
Mdina’s St Paul’s Cathedral is intrinsically linked with the history of Christianity in Malta, which traces its origins to the shipwreck of St Paul on this island in AD60, an event acknowledged by Pope John Paul II in 2001 during his visit as part of his pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Paul.
The first church that must have existed on the site of the present impressive cathedral goes back to the 6th century AD when textual evidence suggests that during the Byzantine period, Lucillus, Bishop of Malta, erected a cathedral probably similar to the ‘basilica’ excavated at Marsaxlokk half a century ago.
According to tradition, this ancient edifice was built on the sacred site where St Paul stayed in Roman Melita as guest of Publius, Governor of the island. Thus, with the advent of Christianity, Melita, as Mdina was then called, must have had one of the earliest churches in Christendom.
After the complete expulsion of the Arabs in the middle of the 13th century, securely documented evidence dated 1299 indicates that a new church dedicated to St Paul was erected on the existing remains of the previous basilica, a site rich in religious traditions suggesting the re-establishment of a Pauline cult. Initially it must have been a Romanesque church consisting of a three-aisle basilica, subsequently enlarged and embellished particularly in the 15th century.
A few surviving relics belonging to this period can still be viewed either incorporated in the current cathedral or in the adjoining museum. These include the Madonna of St Luke, the codex known as Liber Sancti Pauli, on which solemn oaths were taken, a baptismal font from the workshop of Domenico Gaggini (1474) in Palermo, an ornate, panelled West Door superbly carved by Maltese craftsmen that is presently the sacristy door, a 15th-century Gothic processional cross now displayed on special occasions on the high altar, as well as two precious antiphonaries testifying to the rich musical traditions at the cathedral.
The extensive innovations in the Romanesque cathedral carried out in the early 16th century as well as the artistic decorations and the provenance of outstanding objets d’art emanating from the best bottegas, mainly in Sicily and southern Italy, are meticulously documented in every detail in the original Mandati documents.
These documents, or authorisations for payment, have recently been published after scholarly studies by Prof. Stanley Fiorini, recording various services and artistic acquisitions from 1473 to 1538.
In January 1693, a very strong earthquake shook Malta and Sicily, destroying a huge part of the old cathedral and other buildings of medieval origin. The earthquake opened up a new chapter in the architectural history of Mdina, necessitating the rebuilding of the cathedral and many other major works, adopting the then fashionable baroque style.
These contrasting idioms are experienced in the medieval labyrinth reached from the historic Greek Gate (Porta Grecorum) of simple unpretentious design contrasting with the magnificent baroque ornamental Main Gate designed by the French military engineer Charles François de Mondion in 1724. Both contrive to make the medieval/baroque milieu contextually intriguing and unique.
Lorenzo Gafà (1639-1703), one of the foremost Maltese architects of the period, was entrusted with the building of the new cathedral, for which he used an impressive form of baroque characterised by sombre gravity and monumentality, without being overtly ostentatious. Baroque Mdina owes a lot to the masterly sculpture of Gafà as evidenced from the visual impact of the cathedral’s façade on the unsuspecting visitor, especially after winding his or her way through the narrow streets of the medieval lower zone.
The cathedral is mainly embellished with the works of Mattia Preti (1613-1699), an Italian artist who had immensely influenced Neapolitine baroque painting before taking up residence in Malta.
Furthermore, Malta’s foremost baroque artist in the middle of the 18th century, Francesco Zahra (1710-1763), produced some of his greatest works at the cathedral. Worthy of special mention is the magnificent silver tabernacle on the altar of the Blessed Sacrament, dominated by the reputedly miraculous icon of the Madonna of St Luke.
To be continued.