St Peter's Church and Monastery, Mdina

The Church and Monastery of St Peter (Il-knisja u Monasteru ta' San Pietru) is a Catholic Benedictine monastery for Cloistered nuns located in the medieval city of Mdina, Malta. The adjacent church is dedicated to St Peter and St Benedict.

History
The monastery was founded by Pope Callixtus III in 1455, on the site of a former hospital. In 1555 Bishop Cubelles of Malta mentions that the chapel of the monastery was endowed with gold and silver and all the necessarily objects required for worship. The present church as seen today was renovated around 1625 through the initiatives of Bishop Baldassare Cagliares.

Interior of the church
The altarpiece, dating from 1682, depicts the Madonna and child with Saint Peter, St Benedict and St Scholastica. It is the work of Mattia Preti. Other works depict Our Lady of the Pillar, by Francesco Zahra. The altar was installed in the church in the 1740s, and is the work of Francesco Zahra, marmista Claudio Duranti, and bronzaro Marco Morelli. The chapel also includes the remains of the Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani, a cloistered nun who lived at the monastery in the 19th century. The Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani was beatified by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Malta in May 2001.

Today a back wing of the monastery has been opened to the public as a museum. The rooms of the Blessed Adeodata Pisani at the monastery are also open to visitors.