Mysterium Fidei Monastery: Ticket Prices & Hours

Mysterium Fidei is a monastery in Valletta where the nuns have taken a vow to lock themselves away from bustling everyday life outside, until death. For 400 years, this simple but beautiful building has been closed to the general public…but no longer. You can now access the lower level and explore what life is like for a ‘bride of Christ’. You won’t see any of the nuns as they remain in their chambers during public opening, but we thought this place was extraordinary. The complex is based around an attractive central courtyard garden with cloister walkways all the way around it.

This place is also known as St Catherine’s Monastery and was founded in 1575. It’s all about simple living and as such the courtyard has a number of purposes. It provides light to the rooms, whilst maintaining privacy, but it also offers a focus for the community where they can grow food to eat. The communal areas around the outside include a bakery, kitchen, washing area and of course the chapel. You’ll also find an enclosure near the entrance with hens, providing eggs for the nuns.

After public closing, the nuns come out of their chambers and live, as they always have, together but in private. On your tour you can use your phone as an audio guide, or read the notice boards to find out more about each area. The level you will explore is actually underground. It was originally the quarry from where the stone to built the monastery was excavated.

The nuns carried out a number of ‘craft’ activities to fund their life. They made tiles, or candles for use in the building and for sale. You will see the areas where this activity took place. You will also see in one area on this level, that there are a number of bed chambers. The nuns used to offer a home to troubled women where they could learn to enjoy the fruits of a simple life. Some even decided to join the order when they were rehabilitated. These bed chambers are now laid out to show how simple a nun’s ‘cell’ is.

Mysterium Fidei (St Catherine’s Monastery) is open daily from 9.30am, closing at 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 4pm on Sundays. Adult admission is 8 Euros (2024 prices).