Home » Best places to visit » The Mosta Dome
While Mosta isn’t one of the top tourist spots to come up in your research when you’re planning your holiday on the Maltese islands, it definitely has a very beautiful (not so hidden) gem to offer: the Mosta Dome!
The Mosta Dome is one of the best known churches in Malta, located in the central village of Mosta.
You might be thinking, what’s so special about a dome in the middle of a busy town centre?
Well it’s not just about the dome, it’s also about the stunning and unique architecture of this magnificent Roman Catholic place of worship and the stories it has to tell.
Here’s all you need to know about the Mosta Dome.
You read that right! Initially, a smaller church (known as Ta’ Żiri – Ziri’s) built in around 1614 used to occupy the exact spot where the current church stands.
Giorgio Grognet de Vassé (a Maltese architect) was the one who proposed that a new neoclassical design based on the Roman Pantheon should be adopted to replace the old Renaissance church. The impressive structure was built in just 28 years, between 1833 and the early 1860s.
Grognet pulled off an amazing feat of design.
The church façade has a portico with six Ionic columns and is flanked by two bell towers. Its main feature which earns it the name of a rotunda is a spectacular dome with an external height of 61m and a diameter of 39.6m, making it a feature in most rooftop panoramas around Malta.
The dome itself is unsupported and for a time was considered to be the third largest in the world!
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The interior is also stunning, painted blue, gold, and white and decorated with rich colours and stunning statues, stucco mouldings, and gilded and decorative elements.
There are also eight niches and a bay containing the main entrance and a deep apse which includes the main altar. Definitely not a sight to miss if you enjoy viewing beautiful art and architecture!
The first story you will be bombarded with (pun not intended – you’ll understand why soon enough) if you so much as whisper ‘Mosta’ around a local is that of the war bomb which crashed through the dome and did not explode.
On 9th April 1942, a group of around 300 worshippers was gathered in the church for the evening Mass at around 16:40 when a 500kg (1,102lbs) German aerial bomb pierced through the ceiling and smashed a hole into the floor below.
Luckily, no one was hurt or killed as the bomb did not detonate. The highly religious Maltese people of the time declared this to be a miracle and a sign of divine intervention from God who was protecting the nation during the Second World War.
In total, three bombs were dropped on the church – two deflected without exploding, and one went through the ceiling.
Members of the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal unit defused this last one and dumped it into the sea off the West coast. However, a close replica is displayed in the sacristy.
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Come the time for religious celebrations, the Mosta Parish is one of the churches which is most famous for such traditions. One of these is the Good Friday procession in which a number of people choose to wear the kunfratija – a white or black full body cover to indicate piety and penance. Many also decide to walk the procession barefoot as a sign of repentance for their sins.
A less sombre and more fun occasion is the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, which is held every 15th August and is a notable holiday island-wide.
One can enjoy the marching band, the stands with colourful wares for sale, and others with tasty local treats such as imqaret and nougat.
Don’t forget the highlight of every feast (or festa) – the stupendous fireworks display!
Ir-Rotunda (the Rotunda), il-Bażilika (the Basilica), il-Knisja tal-Mosta (the Mosta church) – these are just a few of the names the locals use to refer to it.
Officially, the church is The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady since it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by the Vatican in July 2018.
The Mosta Dome is very easy to find and reach as it is located smack bang in the centre of Mosta Square and close to it there are several bus stops which let off passengers.
These are the bus routes to catch:
You can also take the North Route of the Hop-on-hop-off bus routes. Get your tickets in advance here!
Edward is the Founder and Editor of Malta Uncovered and author of two guidebooks on Malta and Valletta.
As a tourist-turned-expat with Maltese roots, he knows the islands inside out and helps thousands of visitors enjoy a memorable trip every year.
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