Mysterium Fidei Monastery & Secret Garden in Valletta

Discover Valletta’s hidden gem, Mysterium Fidei Monastery. Explore its serene cloisters, historic architecture, and secret garden. Meet Mimi, the friendly monastery cat.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Mysterium Fidei By Hidden Valletta - Mysterium Fidei is a multi sensory experience located within St Catherine’s Monastery, in the heart of Valletta. The door to the Secret Garden has been closed to the public for over 400 years, it is now open for you to enter this tranquil space and take a glimpse into the lives of the cloistered nuns. When joining the monastery, the nuns took vows never to leave. They lived a self-sustainable life closed away from the outside world. You can see the original, authentic kitchens, bedrooms, washrooms and even visit the crypt, their final resting place. The enclosed garden is a rarity in Valletta, here you can escape the hustle and bustle of the busy Valletta streets and experience the peace and serenity of this hidden oasis. Mysterium Fidei is a unique, must see, experience. It gives visitors the opportunity to learn the history, appreciate the architecture, enjoy the peaceful surroundings and contemplate the lives of the women who chose the life of the cloistered nun.
What's Included
  • Free audio tour
Additional Information

Only recently opened to the public, Mysterium Fidei is ‘hidden’ away on a quiet corner on St Christopher Street and Strait Street. Visitors often stumble upon our door whilst exploring Valletta. Often, simply curious to see what lies behind the walls of the Monastery, visitors are then immersed into the fascinating history whilst appreciating the architecture and experiencing the quiet serenity of the cloisters. Visitors can see how the nuns lived, in a totally authentic setting. Cloistered nuns lived a life closed off from the outside world so they had to be self sufficient. Even until today the chickens lay eggs and fruit and vegetables are grown in the garden. Built with self sustainability in mind there are seven wells dotted around the monastery. Rainwater is collected from the roofs. Mimi the monastery cat, often welcomes visitors personally and happily walks around listening to the audio tour before finding a sunny spot in the garden providing a popular photo opportunity.

Location
Mysterium Fidei By Hidden Valletta
St. Christophers Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(59 Ratings)
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Alina
Aug 8, 2024
A place which is worth to visit - Very nice and cosy monastery, the environment is clean. There's a lot of information and you can get even more by using an app and scanning QR codes. Not to mention the cute kitty which follows you around all the time. In the garden itself you can see some turtles and golden fish. Definitely recommend to visit this place to learn how nuns lived before and to have some quiet time in the garden.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesgt7333po
Aug 5, 2024
Excellent site - Wonderful, once hidden convent in central Valetta. Had a very "real" feel compared to some of the other religious sites. Plus a very beautiful pussycat..see pic. Well worth a visit
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Richard
Aug 4, 2024
Very peacefull place to visit and his history to discover. - Very peacefull an quiet place to visite. Too much history about this monastary and nuns. Good place to visit with watm weather and mu h poeple to spend quiet time and gain energy for thé rest of your trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adrianomd4998th
Aug 4, 2024
Visit - Nice experience into history of malta and church live of nun in the past centuries! I have a nice cat as a guide😁 the place ls good condition
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Tour41091258525
Aug 2, 2024
A corner of good and peace in Valletta's heart - Absolutely wonderful place!!! Authentic, quiet, interesting. I can't believe the convent is still active. But it is! Just a stone's throw from the Master's Palace, it's as if you're in another world. Historic location, beautiful and cozy garden, kindness, tranquillity and beauty. She also helped us, told us about the monastery and gave us clues to the wonderful Lyudmila! A man who added kindness to our wonderful day! Be sure to enter the monastery, follow its corridors, walk around the patio. This place will always be in your heart ❤️
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G1344pztheresad
Jul 28, 2024
An inspirational visit - The tour was very educational and meaningful. It gave me a better understanding of the type of life the nuns lived and how they impacted their community. It was inspiring!
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Bella1985nl
Jul 27, 2024
Hidden world - It gives a good insight. Three nuns still live there and they were there too. Very kind guy (brother of one of the nuns) welcomed us and he is happy to explain things.
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Vegetarian_iris
Jul 20, 2024
Hidden Gem in the historical city of Valletta - This was by far one of my favorite experiences in Valletta. This tour has everything: it´s rich in history, the garden is simply stunning (a little piece of nature in a big city) and there are even animals which are a special delight to children (My niece didn´t want to leave). The tour itself is via an App you can download through their WiFi (it´s secured with a password). You can choose from a variety of languages. It is easy to understand, packed with interesting details and covers a variety of topics. And the stuff was so nice!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roberta6517
Jul 17, 2024
Visit to the Mysterium Fidei Monastery and secret garden - Recommendation the visit to the monastery to get a glimpse of the life of the cloistered nuns of Valletta some centuries ago.
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Apauladamo
Jul 31, 2024
Bad experience - It was a tremendous frustration. I was very excited to see the Mysterium Fidei, but when I got there, the space was shortened into a square and everything was extremely poorly preserved: dusty, broken, poorly cared for and with a horrible cat smell. Everything seemed messy, there was even a large package of feed in one of the rooms, the garden was all dry and dirty. The Mysterium Fidei, passes a sadness. Definitely, the experience was not worth the 8 euros nor the visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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