Birgu

The Collegiate Church of St Lawrence is Birgu’s main parish church and one of the earliest built after the Knights of St John settled in Malta. Designed by Gilormu Cassar and completed in 1577, it replaced a smaller medieval chapel that once stood nearby. For centuries, the church served as the spiritual centre of the Knights before Valletta was founded. Inside, the church houses several treasures, including works by Mattia Preti and Stefano Erardi, as well as a richly decorated high altar.

St Lawrence’s significance is not only religious but also historical, tying Birgu directly to the Order’s first decades on the island and their struggles during the Great Siege of 1565.