Mosta Rotunda Church

The Mosta Rotunda is the Parish Church of Mosta and dedicated to the Assumption of our Lady. It is without a doubt one of the most recognisable and photographed landmarks in Malta. Visible from most parts of the island, the church's dome is always proudly mentioned by locals as being the third largest in Europe (ninth in the world). Certainly worth a visit, we delve into some more interesting facts and history below.

The Mosta Rotunda took nearly 40 years to complete in the 1800s. It was completely built by the local 'Mostin' (Mosta had a population of 3,000 at the time) over the previous smaller church which was then removed once the larger one was completed. The design of the church is based on that of the Pantheon in Rome and the dome's diameter is a whopping 37 metres. The churches walls are 9m thick!

A popular true story considered as a miracle by locals is when a 200kg Lutwaffe bomb fell through the dome during a World War 2 air-raid and dropped right in the middle of a large crowd taking shelter in the church. The bomb did not explode and religious devotees attribute this to divine intervention. A replica of the bomb is on display in the church.

A visit to the Mosta Rotunda is recommended at any time of the year but it is a must see during the feast of Santa Maria culminating on 15th August as well as during Holy Week leading up to Easter with a large sombre procession taking place on Good Friday.