A serene moment of respect - A beautiful serene place in the middle of a bustling vibrant city. Loved the elements on display and the beautiful fresco and paintings. The displays had comprehensive and easy to follow explanations. The lady on the front desk was extremely polite as are most Maltese people. Thank you for a lovely experience.

Great visit to Blackfriars and St Catherines - We bought a joint ticket to visit St Catherines hidden garden and Blackfriars Monastery and both were great. A lot more to see and do than I expected. Everything is displayed well and at St Catherines it really makes you feel how it would be living as a nun years ago. The church at Blackfriars Monastery was beautiful and definitely worth seeing. Highly recommend these 2 places to visit getting the joint ticket was very good value.

Stunning facilities!; - First of all, a big thank you to the wonderful lady working the counter the day of our visit! She was wonderful - getting the right tickets, helping with photos, she was absolutely lovely! The exhibition rooms were beautiful with art and some priestly clothing on display. And then the church was absolutely breathtaking with ceiling paintings (a personal favourite being the personification of virtues) and a sense of grandeur all around. The treasure room was comparatively small but with some impressive pieces. We were lucky to go on a day with few other visitors so the atmosphere was especially solemn. Definitely a must-visit (though perhaps not with small children) ESPECIALLY in combination with the Mysterium Fidei!!

place not to be missed in Valetta - Discovered by chance, but so happy that we did it, place not to be missed. So beautiful secret church! Very nice and friendly lady explained about the museum, Valetta and Malta life in general, we will remember this visit with pleasure.

Stumbled into a beautiful gem of a museum! - We just chanced upon this gem of a museum when we saw its street banner from the next street over. The lady at the front desk was so very friendly and informative. We enjoyed chatting with but since we only had an hour before the museum closed, we had to cut the conversation short. The museum and its exhibits have a fantastic mix of old and new, with the items being old but in as good a condition as one could hope for given the vintage and their modern display cases. The museum adjoins the beautiful church with its beautiful collection of paintings and statues. It was nice that there was a Mass only 45 minutes after the museum closed so we stuck around for that (even though the Mass was in Maltese, any regular church-goer would recognize it as a Catholic Mass in the Novus Ordo style. There was much to see even in the short hour we had and would very much like to return here someday.

Beautiful church - Beautiful church and convent. Very friendly receptionist at the front desk. Interesting view into the daily life of the monks.

Peacefull experience - Beautiful church and mistery garden in the convent, not crowded at all. You need 1h for both the attractions that are in close vicinity. You can buy 1 ticket for both locations.

Beautiful paintings - the receptionists was really sweet and helpful. She provided all the needed information. In the Basilica there is many beautiful paintings and interesting facts. The price is really reasonable and matches the expectations.

Fraternising with the Black Friars - Around the corner from Mysterium Fidei, the Black Friars are still very active in the community. We decided to pay them an extended visit after stumbling upon Margaret in the street. She shared once again invaluable information that made our visit both meaningful and enjoyable, giving us an insight into the lives of religious fraternities. The magnificence of the church contrasted strikingly with the humility of the sisters. The two places offer a contrasting view of the Catholic faith in Malta. Definitely worth a visit, especially when it isn’t crowded, to fully appreciate the peace.

The Prettiest Church I've Seen - So, who are the Blackfriars? Formally they are known as The Order of Preachers or the Dominicans. The name “Blackfriars” comes from the black coat/cloak they wore over their white habit. The order follows the doctrine of St Dominic and specialises in teaching and education worldwide, as well as providing assistance to the wider community along with church services. Their order follows vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. There are still members of the community living onsite, as you will notice by the gates at the end of corridor that houses items relating to the order. Museum and Confraternities’ Chapels. Once you have entered the building, prior to the chapels, is a room showing a video on loop. It’s not very long and I felt it was worth watching to gain further insight. Next along the corridor between two small chapels and the church entrance are some items relating to the order, mostly vestments. Here, on display in a cabinet is a beautifully inscribed and decorated book of music. Everything was made to be its best to the glory of God. The two chapels on the left hand side, belong to the closed confraternities of the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament and the Oratory of the Rosary. These confraternities (literally brotherhoods) are corporate groups made up of devoted lay people that work providing services to the community. The chapels are decorated in two very different styles, the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament is quite understated in its presentation. Its floor has the circular emblem of the Dominican Order made from black marble infilled with contrasting honey and white marble displaying the Order’s emblem. Above the white marble altar is a painting of the Madonna. The colours are rather dark but the painting itself is beautiful. At the same level as the painting tucked in the wall niches are two life size marble angels. Resting against the front of the altar stands an intricately beaten silver work of art. During Holy Week the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament sets up a Last Supper display. Visiting just after Easter, I was lucky enough to see some of the displays. They are made from edible foods like rice, nuts, fruit and bread and are intricate and very colourful. Its obvious that a lot of effort goes into making them. In contrast, the Oratory of Rosary has lots of gold bling, from the altar, along the walls and the items displayed in the cabinets. It is a very Baroque chapel. At the time of my visit, the central panel of the ceiling was covered. I had read that there was ongoing restoration work happening, so I’m assuming this is the reason. Once you have absorbed all there is in the chapels and the items on display, climb some stairs which lead to the presbytery and choir of the church. The choir stalls are beautiful. Carved, patina aged and enhanced with delicate floral images. From here you step into a rather magnificent church. This church of the Dominicans is more than a parish church it’s a basilica called Our Lady of Porto Salvo (Our Lady of Safe Haven), reflecting the seafaring tradition of Malta. For me, I found it one of the prettiest churches I have visited and over the years I’ve visited lots of churches. The domes are beautifully decorated with many of the frescoes painted by Giuseppe Cali, along with contributions by Francesco Saverio Sciortino, Raffaele Caruana, Ramiro Cali, Giuseppe Hyzler, Pietro Paolo Caruana and Carlo Muccioli. The beautiful angels holding torches in the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament are the work of Pio Cellini. The arches and cornice are intricately picked out, making them look like rows of jewels. There is not a section of ceiling or wall that isn’t painted in some way. The floor, although opulent are rather subdued white and reddish/brown marble compared to the walls and ceiling are nevertheless beautiful. Its apparent no expense was spared in the adoration of Our Lady or Jesus. Off the central nave are a number of chapels, each with its own charms and dedications. Off the church is the treasury which houses items of significant value and history to the Order. Here there is lots of bling. The beaten silver altar front and triptych are two standouts. I spent close to two hours between the video, the confraternity chapels, the mini museum, the church and the treasury. The Dominican friars and St Catherine’s nuns have a connection, so, it is possible to buy a ticket to both at a reduced price of E13.00 (May 2025 price).