Malta, A Dive into Medieval Times

(A view from the Mediterranean of the fortress city of Valetta)

There is always something magical about a city, let alone an island that precedes Christianity, but which history is shaped by Christ’s followers.

Not only is the Apostle Paul front and center in this small island nation, the Crusades although never started from here have left not only wealth, but also a wealth of stories to be told to visitors as well as to the citizens of Malta alike.

(This is the view of Valetta from the other- the harbor side- seemingly less protected, but to see this you must have breached the harbor entry defenses)

(Our daily climb to the main streets of the city)

(This poster-like sign seems to protect crossing cats

 over the more often seen “children playing” sign)

We landed at Malta International Airport on a hot July day and “enjoyed” that weather for the week we were in Valletta, the capital with only 6500 citizens out of half a million citizens this small island nation harbors. 

If you are not registered as living in this cobblestone rich city as a car owner, your free car access to the city is limited to 30 minutes, monitored by cameras that take your license number and time of entry when crossing over the city limits. After 30 minutes the automatic electronic parking rate applies till the camera registers your leave time. So every licensed car owner is in the system and your bank account is linked for automatic withdrawal.

(The Parliament building seen from the water)

(Another view of this ochre colored fortress town)

This trip was COVID cancelled for 2 years several times via Airbnb, and during that period released from that organisation and booked with discount direct with the owner. Our penthouse apartment with large rooftop terrace gave us sweeping views across the harbor, and was a perfect place in the evening after being out and about during scorching days.

(Our guide Anthony and Me)

(These buildings represent in a large part why Valetta became the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2018)

We spent our first full day with our guide Anthony walking the city and visiting the major sites with him while being regaled with stories about the Maltese Knights Hospitallers of St John, its 8 langues and its various Grand Masters during the centuries.

As always here is the short story about their beginnings and their battle to survive til today:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitaller_Malta

(St Paul himself in pure gold)

(Just a simple chapel)

(Chapel of the Langue of Castille, Leon and Portugal)

Since I do not want to dish up the story of this order here, but personally always dive into the history of places we visit, I give you a link that in a comprehensive manner presents the past to present timeline well.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07477a.htm

I would like to confine my story to the major sights we enjoyed in Malta and as always have the pictures do the talking.

So here they are: 

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Knisja Nawfragju San Pawl Church

Blue Grotto

Medina 

The story about the George Cross, April 15 1942

(Our boat tour about the George Cross)

(This watch tower has a special story: the watchman on duty had to tie one leg up, so he could not fall asleep as he would then fall over)

1. Let’s start with the last item, how all citizens were awarded the George Cross by King George VI, at the advice of Prime Minister Churchill.

We took a special 2 hour boat tour with about a hundred tourists and citizens organized by Heritage Malta the national agency for museums, conservation and cultural heritage, celebrating the 80st year of that momentous occasion for Malta.

(This was where the British HQ was during WWII. Their main defense were 

Obsolete Gloster Gladiator fighter planes, dubbed Faith, Hope and Charity and recruited Maltese militia)

(Picture from the non Harbor side of Valetta)

From the beginning of World War II, the axis nations, in this case led by Mussolini’s army tried unsuccessfully to conquer Malta since it was strategically positioned in the Mediterrean Sea, defended by a small British RAF contingent and the Maltese citizenry. During our boat trip we heard many hilarious stories about the incompetence of the Italian Navy and Air Force.

Let me post here a short article about the most bombed place on earth during WWII:

https://airmalta.com/en/blog/malta/the-story-of-malta-s-george-cross-and-wwii#:~:text=The%20George%20Cross%20was%20awarded,the%20top%20left%2Dhand%20corner.

2. Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. Yesterday Sandee and I watched a show where a maligned expert went to a site on Java to describe a civilization that supposedly preceded the ice age having left a mysterious construction that seemingly was started 22000 years ago. Well on Malta an underground burial complex bears testimony to a lost civilization burying their dead between 4000 and 1500BC. In 1902 a mason was laying foundations for a few houses and discovered the top level of a 3 layer 500 sq meter Hypogeum (did not know this term before and looked it up), meaning underground temple or tomb. 

(Posters we saw before entering the Hypogeum)

(Maquette of the various chambers)

Our small group of lucky entrance ticket carrying visitors who were not allowed to take pictures were given an amazing guided tour into these catacomb-like chambers, just below a row of nondescript homes in a quiet middle class neighborhood on the outskirts of Valletta. Again since there are no pictures I give you a 12 minute YouTube: (feel free to fast forward a few times as it might be too much information - our tour was half an hour underground)

https://youtu.be/bcZucksD7rE

3. St John’s Co-Cathedral was another monument we visited and were floored by, literally, the floors were ornately decorated gravesites as we have never seen before.

(Modest entrance to the Co-Cathedral)

(Magnificent graves galore)

(The total church floor exists of these gravesites)

                  (Chapel of the Langue of Germany)

But first I was curious to find out why this Cathedral was named Co-Cathedral. The answer was this: in the older town of Mdina (Medina for English speaking people) a smaller Cathedral shares the privilege of being the Seat of the Maltese Archdiocese with this Cathedral in Valletta. 

(Grandmaster grave side in the wall)

(Another Grandmaster opposite of him)

           (The Main Altar in the Apse of the Cathedral)

This Cathedral and the history of the Order of St John are so interwoven and so fascinating one could write a book about it. The story of the order was a main reason to visit Malta and colorful Valletta, and definitely did not disappoint despite the heat.

Back to the picture show here telling my story best, but the write up of its glorified history is best described in below link

https://youtu.be/Gp_P7MuBSTE

During our first full day inValetta, when we met our guide Anthony he told us 2 things: one, to go early in the morning to the Cathedral before the tour buses come and second, Valetta never in its recorded history broke the 43 Celsius heat record, (he said 42.8C was recorded. It was an unseemly hot day when we met and I was sure it was hotter than 110F, as it certainly felt that way). 

(Walked in amazement over the colorful graves through Golden Arche

The compact cobblestone city with up and down stairway pedestrian streets, crossing the main avenues, most of them also pedestrian only, is one big tourist laden place with on the street level restaurants and bars occupying most of the inner city, (Valetta is Europe’s smallest capital - .24sq.mi/.61sq.km with less than 6500 registered inhabitants and 4025 multi purpose buildings) which gives you an idea of type of place you would visit if you ever have the opportunity.

(Knisja Nawfragju San Pawl Church)

(This church is less opulent but full of treasures)

(Last supper mixed with the story of the foot washing)

4. Knisja Nawfragju San Pawl Church. (Which translates into Saint Paul Shipwrecked Church), was an accidental find when on the 3rd day, we, midmorning, climbed stairs to the center avenues, passing a badly maintained place and peering through the open door saw something like a nondescript chapel. We would have continued on were it not that an older gentleman who came out beckoning us to come in and visit. When we went through another door in the back of the room we gasped and found ourselves in a very ornate church. Here is a link to what we saw:

https://youtu.be/mnR57cxT-I0

This was definitely a highlight during our visit. When we bought a bracelet for Sandee to match her two-tone watch, the 8th generation jewelry store owner Fabio Zampa  told us that his family had been commissioned, since 1804, over the centuries to place gemstones in that church of sizes that would not be affordable anymore even to the Catholic Church. His family has been supplier to the Archdiocese for more than 200 years. 

(This was not the only chandelier in the Church)

5. On our 5th day in Malta our guide Anthony took us in his car for a day of touring the country side and the oldest city right in the middle of the island Mdina.

(Marsaskala panoramic view)

First we drove to the fishing villages Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk. (The word Marsa means Bay). Unlike traditional villages, because of Ottoman attacks in the 1600’s the Grandmaster fortified both villages to protect that side of the island. The defensive towers have been in use and kept being restored throughout the ages into the 19th century and gives these villages a unique charm.

(View of the island direction Valetta from the south east side of the Island)

From there we circled clockwise the island coast to the most wellknown tourist trap in Malta: the Blue Grotto. Of course Anthony convinced us we should take the tour as he would await our return with an espresso somewhere. Standing in line with 50 or so tourists we inched up to the ticket office and than herded into little 8 person boats, captained by local entrepreneurs who at the end of the day cash in their collected tickets. In about 20 minutes they bring us into shallow grottos where they point at the water that has defined blue color patches. We could have done without this, but are now in the hallowed group of tourists that went to the Blue Grotto in Malta.

(In line for the Blue Grotto boat)

(One of the Blue Grottoes)

(The famous Blue Waters)

(view from within)

When we reached our final stop that day I realized how much this island has become a tourist centric place and that is not a criticism, but a mere fact. Mdina/Medina showed me this the best.

(Entry Gate Mdina, crossing a moat)

(Now a hotel, but in History the Palace of the Cardinal)

(The narrow streets of Mdina)

(Front door of one of the few hundred citizens)

The towns of Rabat (a town we did not visit) and Medina have a long varied history:

The Phoenicians settled here in the 8th century followed by Romans, Byzantines and Arabs. As this former capital sits in the center of the island on a high hill it has gone from 10,000 plus large to now 300 citizens with nearby Rabat (Arabic for suburb) as the major town today.

(The other St John Cathedral)

(The dome unsupported engineering feat)

(The Italian bomb that did not explode, another story 

of a cathedral miracle, something Catholics are very good in telling)

The walled city of Medina is filled with baroque style buildings and when crossing the bridge and entering the gate it becomes rapidly evident that with exception of the 300 citizens locked in behind their beautiful ornate front doors, there is, just like Venice, no beating heart to this town, just a beautiful place, frozen in time. And more than 750,000 visitors walk it’s streets each year in a town of a 1/3sq mile size.

(St Jerome Writing, by Caravaggio, a violent, touchy and provocative man left many paintings in Malta)

(The beheading of John the Baptist, had a separate place in the Oratory of the Co-Cathedral)

A footnote to the above paintings of Caravaggio: of the many stories about him and the reasons why he had to “relocate” often in his lifetime, his stay in Malta brought him the induction into the order of the Knights of Malta, because of the wonderful works of art he created there, despite the fact that he had no wealth or famous lineage. But he screwed it up again by getting into a brawl during a party at the house of an aristocratic knight in which that knight was seriously wounded and a door of that house battered down. He was thrown into jail and would have been convicted in court, were it not that he mysteriously escaped.

(Painting with likewise dark and light as Caravaggio painted by Unknown artist in a quiet corner of the cathedral)

Although we must have missed many other worthwhile sights in Malta, we will always fondly look back at this trip despite the high temperatures, most likely because of a beautiful well airconditioned apartment, where as the sun was setting we lounged on the big roof terrace and toasted each other thankfully for the never ending privilege of travel.