The Mosta Dome is impossible to miss; it is visible from virtually anywhere on the island.
The immense St Mary's parish church was finished in 1860 after the dome was built on top a church dating back to 1614. Built using money raised by the local community and a voluntary work force the Mosta Dome, or Rotunda, as it is also known, is one of the largest unsupported domes in Europe.
Once the third largest dome in Europe, it has been relegated to fourth place since the Xewkija Rotunda in Gozo was completed in1971. The Gozitans now claim that their Rotunda is the third largest while the people of Mosta still believe that the volume of their dome trumps the Xewkija's height.
Nevertheless, the enormous dome of the Mosta Rotunda, with walls up to six metres deep, is still an amazing building feat. The exterior is neo-classic in style and embellished with Ionic columns, but it is the interior of this church that has the most appeal.
The floor is intricately laid in marble and the murals are so vivid that they appear to be almost three-dimensional. The dome also has six beautiful side chapels and houses the largest mechanical organ that has ever been installed in Malta.
To this day people still talk about the Miracle at Mosta. In 1942 a three hundred strong congregation were gathered for worship in the church when a 200kg bomb pierced the dome, crashed to the floor and skidded through the church. Unbelievably the bomb did not detonate and two other bombs, which both bounced off the roof of the dome, also failed to explode.
The Maltese have always chosen to interpret this as a divine act and proudly display a replica of the bomb in the museum attached to the dome.
