The conservation of a late medieval panel painting at Mdina Cathedral Museum

The Metropolitan Cathedral museum houses one of the most important collections of late medieval panel paintings in Malta. Unfortunately, during the past centuries, many such panels, scattered in various local churches and rural chapels, were lost due to neglect or vandalism.

The old medieval Mdina cathedral was embellished with a remarkable amount of these archaic panels which were venerated on the various altars and in the chapels within this venerable holy edifice. Pride of place is predominantly reserved to the polyptych of St Paul.
The earthquake of 1693 was instrumental for the Cathedral Chapter to take the bull by the horns and eventually dismantle the severely damaged old cathedral. This decision was crucial to make way for the new Baroque cathedral under the supervision of the most prolific Maltese architect of the 17th century, Lorenzo Gafà.
Following the grand transformation, many of the old church furnishings and paintings were replaced, removed or relocated. The polyptych was dismembered, leaving only the central icon of the enthroned St Paul for public veneration. The accompanying panels depicting the Pauline episodes together with the other medieval panels were...