The Wignacourt Museum, located next to St Paul’s Basilica in Rabat, occupies the former Baroque residence of the chaplains of the Order of Malta. Commissioned by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt in the early seventeenth century and completed in 1749, the museum forms part of Malta’s important Pauline heritage. It is directly connected to St Paul’s Grotto, traditionally believed to be the place where the Apostle Paul lived and preached during his three-month stay on the island after the shipwreck described in the Acts of the Apostles.
The museum presents more than two millennia of Maltese history across three levels. Beneath the building lies a remarkable network of Punic, Roman and early Christian hypogea, together with extensive World War II air-raid shelters. The upper galleries house an impressive collection of paintings by Mattia Preti, Antoine Favray, Francesco Zahra and Giuseppe Calì, as well as silverware, relics, sculptures, rare books, maps and coins. A beautifully preserved Baroque chapel, once used by the chaplains of the Knights of Malta, completes one of the island’s most fascinating historical and religious museums.
- Address
2 College Street, Rabat, Malta - Web
https://www.wignacourtmuseum.com/ - Visiting Hours
Every day from 9:30 am to 5:00pm - What to see
St Paul’s Grotto and underground complex, Art gallery, Baroque chapel of the Knights of Malta’s chaplains
