Mysterium Fidei Museum

Mysterium Fidei Museum opens a door that stayed shut for about four centuries. It takes you into the underground complex beneath St Catherine's Monastery in the heart of Valletta, a quiet world apart from the busy streets above.

Think of it as a world within a world. The visit is built around an audio tour, so you walk at your own pace through rooms used for work, prayer, restraint and burial, hearing how the monastic nuns lived. It sits comfortably beside the capital's better-known sights, and our Valletta guide shows how to fit it into a day, and our hotels in Valletta page lists places to stay close by.

The monastery above

St Catherine's Monastery was founded in 1575, at first to care for female orphans. It was built in thanks for answered prayers, and the stone used for its walls was dug from directly underneath it. Over the centuries, cloistered nuns took an oath to a life of prayer, contemplation and service, and what is probably the last generation of nuns carries on that legacy today.

Visitors are invited to witness a mystery of faith, as the museum puts it, in the place where the sisters made their lives. The story runs from the era of the Knights of St John to the present day. If that period interests you, read our Knights of Malta guide before you go.

The underground complex

The open quarry that supplied the stone was later turned into the underground complex you walk through. There are ribbed vaulted rooms, a peaceful central garden, the fiery ovens and an undisturbed burial place. After the noise of Valletta's streets, the complex is calm and silent, and its spaces recall hard work, intense prayer and care for people in need.

The experience is run by Hidden Valletta Ltd, a team working in tourism, culture, event organisation and hospitality, whose managers were born and raised in Valletta. The same team also runs the Black Friars Experience at the Priory and Basilica of St Dominic, so a combined visit to both venues is easy to plan. The managers describe the monastery as part of their own lives, and the visit is meant to share that legacy with respect for the nuns who still live above.

Audio tour, tickets and opening hours

The audio tour is available in ten languages, including English. It is delivered through the free Mysterium Fidei app on your own phone, which uses a built-in code reader to move from one location to the next, so download it before you arrive and you are ready as soon as you walk in. The narration plays through your smartphone's earpiece in your chosen language, and the app guides you with simple instructions.

You can buy tickets online to beat the queue and cut your waiting time, or at the reception desk at the monastery, where there is usually no queue. Tickets cost €8 for adults and €4 for children under 12, and children under 5 go free. A Multi Ticket gives a discount on entry to both Valletta Black Friars and Mysterium Fidei. The museum opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, including public holidays. You can compare other places in our directory of museums in Malta, including the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum.

Finding the museum

Allow time to enjoy the garden and the quiet, because the complex is meant to be absorbed slowly rather than rushed. The entrance is on the paved section of St Christopher Street, between Republic Street and Strait Street, about three minutes on foot from the Grandmaster's Palace. From there, St John's Co-Cathedral and the Upper Barrakka Gardens are an easy walk, so the museum makes a good addition to a day on foot. AMIS City Spa, Beauty & Hair Salon is listed close by, and our Three Cities guide covers the other side of the Grand Harbour.

For group bookings or any question before you visit, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.