In the Northern Region of Malta, lies the small city of Mosta which is known for a large basilica, The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta or the Mosta Dome.
With a minimal fee of €5, it is possible to see the basilica and the WWII Shelter, which is just outside and also to go upstairs to the portico to view the inner gallery of the church.
THE HISTORY & THE MIRACLE
The Rotunda of Mosta was built between 1833 and 1860 in a neoclassical design, based on the structure of Pantheon (Rome), on the site of an earlier Renaissance church which had been built in around 1614. It was built around the older church which was in use until the construction was completed after 28 years and then the inner church was demolished.
Some Maltese considered it as a miracle when, during World War II, it escaped destruction even when three bombs were dropped on it by the Germans. The town of Mosta was in close proximity of the airfield of RAF Ta Kali because of which it was prone to air raids (which is why a WWII shelter was also built near the Dome). On 9th April 1942, three bombs were dropped by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) on the church where 300 worshippers had gathered. Two of the bombs got deflected and one pierced through the ceiling and smashed into the floor. However, no one got hurt and the bomb did not detonate which deemed miraculous by the locals.
THE PORTICO & THE INNER GALLERY
We started our Rotunda tour with the view of the inner gallery. The spiral staircase on the right of the ticket counter takes you to the top of the portico where you can see the two bell towers, a view of the Mosta city but mainly the bird eye view of the church interior.
About 35-40 steps later, we reached a landing where we could see a beautiful view of the portico columns through the window.
After some more climbing we reached the top. There was a board indicating the way to the inner gallery.
We went in and were immediately awestruck by the enormous dome and the stunning interior. With an external height of 61m and a diameter of 39.6m, the Mosta dome is supposedly one of the largest unsupported domes in the World.
By looking at the number of seats, we guessed that it has the capacity to accommodate around 950 worshippers although during our visit there was hardly anyone.
THE BASILICA & THE ARCHITECTURE
If you have visited Pantheon in Rome, you will find the similarities between the two churches quite evident. The columns, the portico and the facade reminded us of the Pantheon.
We went inside the church after taking a few snaps of the statues and the columns.
The inside of the the church looked as magnificent from below as it looked from above, thanks to the spectacular dome.
If you want, do visit the main sacristy, the praying space and check out the replica of the bomb which was dropped on the basilica in 1942. We skipped these to visit the WWII shelters before moving on to our next destination, Mdina.
THE WORLD WAR II SHELTERS
The WWII shelter is just outside the church. The man at the ticket counter asked us to follow another tourist to whom he had handed the key of the shelter gate and she had no idea where the shelter was. A few more tourists followed her to nowhere and after circling the entire church, we finally managed to find the entrance. So, for convenience of the readers - the shelter is on the left when you are coming out of the church.
We opened the small gate and went down the narrow staircase to the shelters. The air raid shelter is not very big but it does depict the life of people down there when Mosta was being bombarded.
The walls are adorned by pictures and information from WWII.
There is a small room with a bed showing the living space of the Maltese people; there are showcases displaying tools and utensils they had used during the times, the clothes they had worn.
This place is quite impressive and history enthusiasts would thoroughly enjoy a visit here. We would highly recommend to make it a part of your itinerary along with Mdina if you are in Malta. It is just a 30 minutes bus ride between Mosta and Mdina and hence both can be done in one day.
USEFUL INFORMATION
How to get to the Rotunda of Mosta - Bus 44 from Valletta 18
Entry fee and visiting hours (as in 2020) -
How we did it - We travelled from Popeye village to Mosta and then from Mosta to Mdina and back to Valletta. It takes around 30-40 mins to travel between each stop by bus.
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