St Peter's Church and Monastery, Mdina

The Church and Monastery of St Peter (Maltese: Il-knisja u Monasteru ta' San Pietru) is a Catholic Benedictine monastery for Cloistered nuns located in the medieval city of Mdina, Malta. The adjacent church is dedicated to St Peter and St Benedict.[1]

St Peter's Church and Monastery
Benedictine Monastery
Il-Knisja u il-Monasteru ta' San Pietru
St Peter's Church and Monastery
35°53′07.6″N 14°24′12.6″E
LocationMdina
CountryMalta
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusActive
DedicationSaint Peter
Architecture
Functional statusMonastery Church
StyleBaroque
Completed1625
Administration
ArchdioceseMalta
Clergy
ArchbishopCharles Scicluna

History

It is not known when the monastery was founded however it is known that the first nuns in Malta arrived in the early 15th century. Thus the monastery of St Peter was established sometime around 1418.[2] In 1555 Bishop Cubelles of Malta mentions that the chapel of the monastery was endowed with gold and silver and all the necessarily objects required for worship. The present church as seen today was renovated around 1625 through the initiatives of Bishop Baldassare Cagliares.[3]

Interior of the church

The altarpiece, dating from 1682, depicts the Madonna and child with Saint Peter, St Benedict and St Scholastica. It is the work of Mattia Preti. Other works depict the Resurrection of Jesus and Our Lady of the Pillar, the work of Francesco Zahra. The chapel also includes the remains of Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani who was a cloistered nun who lived in the monastery in the middle of the 19th century. Blessed Maria Adeodata was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

References
  1. "Mdina", Malta-Canada. Retrieved on 16 April 2017.
  2. Brincat, A. M. "Benedicitine Sisters - St. Peter's Monastery", Archdiocese of Malta. Retrieved on 16 April 2017.
  3. Brincat, A. M. "San Pietru u San Benedettu ~ Imdina ~", Kappelli Maltin. Retrieved on 16 April 2017.
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