Benigno Zerafa

Nestled within the historic Silent City of Mdina, the Cathedral Archives are among Malta’s most valued archival repositories. Their collections, dating from the fifteenth century onwards, preserve the records of the Cathedral Chapter, sections of the Episcopal Archives, and the archives of the Roman Inquisition in Malta. Together, these documents offer a remarkable insight into Malta’s rich and complex social history within the wider Mediterranean world.

In 2004, the Archives were relocated to a distinguished late sixteenth-century palazzo generously donated by the late Agatha Formosa Gauci. Carefully restored with great respect for its historic character, the building features an elegant façade, a traditional entrance hall, and a bright central courtyard.

Between 1973 and 1988, significant preservation work was undertaken in collaboration with St. John’s University. During this period, numerous manuscripts were meticulously inventoried and microfilmed, helping to safeguard these fragile historical records for future generations. In 2015, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library continued this important mission through extensive digitisation initiatives and the creation of detailed metadata, ensuring both long-term preservation and wider accessibility of the collections.

A major discovery of hundreds of musical documents was made in 1968. These materials were transferred to the Cathedral Museum and Archives in 1969, where systematic cataloguing commenced. Today, the collection comprises more than 6,000 manuscripts and printed works, including rare antiphoners from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as well as the sixteenth-century Royas Graduals commissioned by Bishop Martin Royas. Early records also document church music activity in the late fifteenth century, including references to the organists Joannes de Rapis and Lorenzo Vagnolo.

The Archives preserve important printed and original works by renowned Italian and Sicilian composers, including Claudio Monteverdi, Vincenzo Amato, and Giacomo Carissimi, reflecting the strong influence of Sicilian polyphonic music on Malta. During the seventeenth century, several Sicilian musicians also served as maestro di cappella at the Cathedral.

One of the Archive’s greatest treasures is its collection of autograph manuscripts by Maltese composers, including Giuseppe Balzano, Domenico Balzano, the Nani dynasty, Francesco Azopardi, and Benigno Zerafa, whose 300th birth anniversary is being commemorated through this special project.