Monastery

One of the nuns monasteries in Malta goes back 450 years and from the 100 nuns it once housed, there are now 3 elderly nuns living in it. St Catherine's Monastery in Valletta was founded in 1575 as a safe haven for female orphans. At the heart of the monastery lies a rare, enclosed garden, a space of light and colour sheltered from the city's noise. Once a quarry that provided stone for the monastery's construction, it now sustains fruit trees, herbs and vines rooted around three freshwater wells. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes and medicinal herbs nourished the nuns for centuries, making the garden the monastery's backbone. Today, cats roam freely among the plants, enjoying the same tranquillity that once sustained generations of cloistered women. The bedrooms reflect the austere nature of monastic life. One room belonged to the Mother Superior, distinguished only by a bed with curtains, with the other representing a typical nun's quarters. Furnishings were sparse: a chair, a bedside table, a wash basin, a kneeler for prayer, and a small desk used for reading or meals. The crucifix, however, always stood at the centre of every room. 

Poverty was a vow, not a hardship, and their only luxury was spirituality. Community prayer and personal devotion filled these spaces with sanctified silence. Food preparation areas speak to the monastery's connection with the wider community, as meals were prepared not just for the nuns, but also for people in need. Work began early, after prayers, and continued throughout the day. Even sackcloth used to transport wheat was recycled into kitchen aprons, and nothing went to waste. The nuns’ living quarters now is above ground, while the underground complex stands as testimony to centuries of devotion, labour and resilience.