Wignacourt Museum, Baroque museum in Rabat, Malta
The Wignacourt Museum is housed in a three-level building that contains an art gallery, religious objects, and underground Roman catacombs linked to St Paul's Grotto. The site also features World War II air-raid shelters with about fifty separate underground chambers that visitors can explore.
The museum opened in 1981 and occupies a 1749 building that once housed chaplains of the Knights of St John. The residence was built by a wealthy family and later taken over by the Order to provide quarters for its religious staff.
The collections include paintings by Mattia Preti and Francesco Zahra, who shaped artistic life on the island. Visitors also see silverware crafted by Spanish, Italian, and Maltese makers, showing how different traditions came together in Malta.
The museum offers guided tours through its exhibition spaces, and visitors should wear comfortable shoes since there are many stairs and steep passages to the underground areas. Exploring the catacombs and air-raid shelters requires patience and reasonable fitness, particularly for climbing up and down.
The building preserves a wooden altar that was used for Mass aboard naval vessels of the Knights of Malta during Mediterranean voyages. This portable altar shows the spiritual practices of the knights during their sea journeys and is a rare witness to their life at sea.
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