Photos

St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Independence Square

Passing the Church of Our Lady of Carmel, beyond Old Mint Street, and turning right into West Street, we come to the Anglican St Paul's Cathedral, in Independence Square, with a tower which is one of Valletta's landmarks. It was built in 1844 on the site of the old Auberge d'Allemagne, which had been pulled down in l839 to make way for it.

The Auberge d'Allemagne was demolished to provide space for this cathedral, the only major non-military edifice erected by the British during their occupation, paid for by Queen Adelaide (Queen Victoria's Aunt and King William IV's widow) while she was convalescing in Malta. From out at sea, it's 63-meter tall spire blends in with the Carmelite's dome.

The monument in the front is to Dun Michael Xerri, who was executed along with 33 others by the French.

Valletta

Valletta (officially ii-Beit Valetta, formerly known as La Valetta), capital of the island Republic of Malta, occupies a fine strategic situation on the Sciberras Peninsula (200ft/ 60 m) on Malta's northeast coast, surrounded by what are surely the mightiest fortifications in the
world. The peninsula, 2mi/3km long and up to 770yd/700 m wide, extends between the country's two largest and economically most important harbors, Marsamxett Harbor and Grand Harbor-long inlets which reach far into the interior of the island and enclose the town on the north, east and south. These are the best and most beautiful natural harbors in Europe.

As capital of the Maltese Archipelago, Valletta is the country's administrative center, the seat of its parliament (House of Representatives) and Supreme Court. It is also the cultural center of the Republic, with the see of a bishop, a University (founded 1769), the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, the Malta Cultural Institute, the Agrarian Society, the Observatory and a number of higher educational establishments. The National Museum of Malta is an institution of recognized status.

The urban region of Valletta, with its two harbors, is the economic center of the Maltese islands. The main source of employment is the former British naval dockyard, which was converted to civilian use in 1958 and nationalized in 1968. There are five dry docks in which passenger vessels are built and overhauled and tankers of up to 300,000 tons are repaired and cleaned. The shipyards provide employment for more than 5,000 people. The Grand Harbor, modernized in 1961, handles almost the whole of the country's commercial and passenger traffic.

Valletta was named after a Grand Master de la Vallette and was devised, in the wake of his victory against the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565 with two aims: to be a Christian fortress able to withstand the forces of Islam and to be a congenial home for the Order of the Knights of St John.
(Source:planetware/Valletta)