Church and Monastery of St Catherine, Valletta, Baroque monastery and church in Valletta, Malta
The Church and Monastery of St Catherine is a Baroque structure with underground spaces located in Valletta, Malta. It contains vaulted rooms, a central courtyard, kitchen areas, and a burial chamber that remain intact.
The monastery was founded in 1580 when a religious community took over a palace building from the Vasco Oliviero family. The nuns settled there and devoted themselves to their mission for centuries to come.
The place is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whom the community honored. Visitors can sense through the spaces how the nuns organized their days between prayer, crafts, and teaching.
Access to the underground areas involves descending stairs into dimly lit vaulted rooms. Comfortable shoes are recommended and visitors should allow enough time to explore all the different spaces.
Beneath the monastery building lies an ancient quarry from which stone was extracted for the construction itself. This excavation reveals how builders sourced materials directly below where they were building.
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