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218:. The grotto had become a popular pilgrimage site by the early 17th century, and in 1610 it was entrusted to the Spanish hermit Juan Benegas de Cordoba. In 1617, control of the grotto was passed to the Order of St. John, and Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt raised the status of the grotto and the church above it to a collegiate church in 1619. He also established the Wignacourt College in order to manage the church and the grotto.
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In 1961, the government returned the college to the church, and it became administered by the parish of Rabat. On 24 June 1981, the building was opened as a museum, containing exhibits from the college itself, the Church of St. Paul and a number of affiliated churches, as well as other artifacts
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The building which now houses the
Wignacourt Museum was built in 1749 to house this collegiate. It is constructed in the Baroque style, and it contains three levels. The underground level is linked to St. Paul's Grotto, and it also contains a number of
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in 1798, the college remained in use by the church, but it was administered by the government. In World War II and the subsequent years, the building was used as a school, an infirmary and as a parish and social centre.
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Tabone-Vassallo, M. (2003). L-Infirmerija fil-muzew
Wignacourt fil-gwerra, bejn is-snin 1940 u 1941, Festi Taghna 2003, p.13,15.
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donated by private individuals. The core of the museum's art gallery is based on the collection of notary
Francesco Catania.
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in which Paul the
Apostle is believed to have stayed in while he was shipwrecked in Malta, and it is located beneath the
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238:. The building includes a garden and a small chapel, which was originally used for private worship by the chaplains.
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An art gallery is found on the museum's main floor, and it contains paintings by a number of artists including
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is believed to have stayed while he was shipwrecked in Malta, as well as a number of hypogea and
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The building which houses the museum is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the
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194:-era air raid shelters. Its collections mainly focus on art and religious artifacts.
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hypogea which are interconnected with a complex of World War II-era
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186:The museum is linked to St. Paul's Grotto, where
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339:Courtyard at the Wignacourt and rear façade
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175:building which housed the Chaplains of the
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206:The museum is linked to St. Paul's Grotto
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255:Malta Environment and Planning Authority
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171:. It is housed in an 18th-century
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470:Baroque architecture in Malta
216:Collegiate church of St. Paul
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44:View of the Wignacourt Museum
303:Inscription on the main door
32:is used as the museum's logo
480:Museums established in 1981
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243:French occupation of Malta
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490:Defunct schools in Malta
351:List of museums in Malta
327:Staircase at the museum
210:St. Paul's Grotto is a
106:35.881639°N 14.398861°E
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57:24 June 1981
290:Interior and exterior
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111:35.881639; 14.398861
28:The coat of arms of
432:"Wignacourt Museum"
411:on 12 October 2015.
380:Rabat Local Council
376:"Wignacourt Museum"
279:Hospitaller galleys
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442:on 9 January 2016.
401:"About the museum"
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181:Alof de Wignacourt
30:Alof de Wignacourt
485:Air raid shelters
405:Wignacourt Museum
271:Antoine de Favray
236:air raid shelters
177:Order of St. John
157:Wignacourt Museum
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145:.wignacourtmuseum
17:Wignacourt Museum
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438:. Archived from
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192:World War II
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97:14°23′55.9″E
94:35°52′53.9″N
261:Collections
109: /
84:Coordinates
54:Established
454:Categories
357:References
61:1981-06-24
436:malta.com
315:Main hall
345:See also
69:Location
285:Gallery
198:History
173:Baroque
138:Website
130:Curator
122:Founder
59: (
212:grotto
161:museum
228:Roman
224:Punic
169:Malta
165:Rabat
159:is a
77:Malta
73:Rabat
273:and
230:and
155:The
147:.com
163:in
143:www
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
