Encyclopedia of Mdina

Mdina, the old capital of Malta, has a documented history going back to ancient times. The apostle Paul (later St. Paul), on his way to Rome, after being shipwrecked on Malta, went to Mdina where he cured the father of the Roman governor Publius. Later when Malta was captured by the Arabs, and then by the Normans, Mdina remained the administrative centre of the island. From medieval and early modern times, the nobility established their family seats in the city, but when the Knights of St. John took possession of Malta in 1530, they established their capital at Birgu, and after the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, Valletta became their new capital. However the seat of the archbishop remained at St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina, built on the site of the palace of Publius. The population of the city of Mdina, known officially as Città Vecchia or Città Notabile, declined dramatically, and now is around 300. However it attracts large numbers of tourists every day, especially for the Medieval Mdina Festival around April each year.