DOME OF MOSTA (HOLY MARY CHURCH)

An impressive dome topped by a nipple, built without the aid of scaffolding, it is the pride of Maltese builders. And it's true that the Rotunda, Europe's fourth largest dome, is a pure marvel. The church, which can accommodate up to 12,000 people, took 27 years to build. Work was completed in 1871.

The people of Mosta contributed financially and physically to the building of the structure, some even offering up to 70% of their annual salary. The church was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome by architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, a Maltese nobleman whose bust can be seen inside. At the entrance, the olive-wood statue of Our Lady is the one carried around the village on procession days. Several of the murals are by Giuseppe Cali; the altar is by the Maltese Pasquale Buhagiar.

The gigantic dome is white, with sky-blue and gold rhombuses. Its diameter is almost 39 m. To avoid the need for scaffolding, a sort of stone spiral has been constructed, tapering in size and easily visible from the outside. The base of the spiral is 9 m wide. During the Second World War, at 4.40pm on April 9, 1942, a bomb fell on the church during mass, but failed to detonate. The episode became known as the "Mosta miracle", and a life-size reproduction of the bomb is still on display in the sacristy at the back of the church, on the left. For the festa on August 15, the feast of Our Lady of the Assumption and the national holiday, the interior of the church is covered in red hangings and the exterior is decorated with multicolored bulbs and statues.