Two floors of Baroque rooms sit above a cave and a set of tunnels. That mixture of art galleries and underground passages is what makes the Wignacourt Museum different from most museums in the old towns of Malta.
A house for chaplains
The museum occupies the former Baroque residence of the chaplains of the Order of St John, beside the parish church of St Paul in Rabat. The name recalls Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt, who ruled the Order in the early 17th century and supported projects in the town.
The building is a good example of how the Order built even for its clergy. Rooms are tall, courtyards are shaded, and the stone is the same honey-coloured limestone found across the islands.
Above ground: art and silver
Upstairs, the museum holds a rich collection of religious art, silver, coins and artefacts. Paintings, church plate and objects used in worship show how the church lived beside the Order in Malta. These rooms give a quieter side of Rabat’s history, away from the crowds in Mdina.
The coins are a useful guide to how long the islands have been part of Mediterranean trade. A slow walk through the galleries takes less time than the underground section but sets the tone.
Below: St Paul’s Grotto
Underneath the museum is St Paul’s Grotto, traditionally associated with the stay of the apostle on Malta. According to the account in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul was shipwrecked on the islands, and Rabat remembers him as the founder of the local Christian community.
Whatever the historical detail, the grotto is a place of pilgrimage with a long tradition, and visitors often remark on how still it is compared to the street outside.
Catacombs and shelters
The underground area also includes early Christian catacombs, the burial places of the late Roman period, and a network of tunnels that served as air raid shelters during the Second World War. Both have the same cool air and rock walls, but they belong to periods separated by more than a thousand years.
The combination is the unusual part of the visit. You can pass from a burial chamber to a shelter used in the 1940s in the same underground route, and see how one space served different needs.
Rabat and St Paul
Rabat is closely tied to the Christian story of Malta. Tradition holds that Paul stayed here after the shipwreck, and the town grew around the churches, catacombs and grottoes associated with him. The parish church of St Paul stands beside the museum and is part of the same group of buildings.
The catacombs of Rabat are among the oldest Christian burial grounds on the islands. Early believers dug into the soft rock outside the Roman town, and the same stone later made shelters possible in the twentieth century. Seeing both layers in the same place shows how useful the rock has been.
Looking at the objects
In the galleries, pause at the silver. Church plate was made for use in services and often carries marks of the workshop or the donor. Coins are another useful category, because they were struck by different rulers and carry portraits and dates that help place them in time.
Labels explain the objects, but a brief look at the case before you read often helps you notice details such as the wear on a handle, the repair on a base or the style of lettering.
Practical advice for the underground
The passages involve steps, low ceilings and uneven floors. Wear shoes with grip, and expect the air to be cool and a little damp even in summer. Anyone with limited mobility should ask about access first, since the underground route is not suited to wheelchairs.
A visit usually takes one to two hours. No opening hours or fees are listed here, so check before travelling, particularly in winter or around religious holidays.
Fitting it into Rabat
Rabat is a small town outside the walls of Mdina, with its own cluster of sights. St Paul’s Catacombs, the Domvs Romana and the parish church are all within walking distance. Mdina, just a few minutes away on foot, adds the walled city and the Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum.
A good plan is to see the Wignacourt Museum in the morning, eat lunch in Rabat, and spend the afternoon in Mdina. Rabat is also known for pastizzi, the savoury pastries sold in many small cafes, which make a cheap and traditional snack between sights.
