1963, 1975 MALTA - St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina

1963 Malta - St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina

Posted on 16.10.2015, 20.10.2015
Built between 1697 and 1702 in Baroque style on the site where governor Publius was reported to have met Saint Paul following his shipwreck off the Maltese coast, St. Paul's Cathedral dominates with its prominent facade the landscape of Mdina’s narrow streets, which served as the capital of the island since antiquity until the arrival of the Knights Hospitaller, in 1530. It was designed by the architect Lorenzo Gafa to replace the Norman cathedral, destroyed by the 1693 earthquake.

1975 Malta - St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina: 1. A view of the baroque
architecture over the high altar; 2. The Carrara marble statue of
St. Luke, by Giuseppe Valenti, on the presbitery;
3. St. Paul's Cathedral exterior/

From the old cathedral survived several artifacts and edifices, including paintings and frescoes. The near-square facade is cleanly divided in three bays by the Corinthian order of pilasters. There are two bell towers at the both corners. The plan is a Latin cross with a vaulted nave, two aisles and two small side chapels. The Cathedral has a light octagonal dome, with eight stone scrolls above a high drum leading up to a neat lantern.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Wild and Domestic Fauna of the Maltese Islands, about which I wrote here.

References
Metropolitan Cathedral - The official website
St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina - Wikipedia

Sender 1963, 1975: Ana
Sent from Valletta (Malta), on 28.09.2013