What are the opening hours?

Monday 09:00 - 12:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 12:15 Wednesday 09:00 - 12:15 Thursday 09:00 - 12:00 Friday 09:00 - 12:15

Malta Diocesan Archives

Home
Malta
Floriana
Malta Diocesan Archives

Call Directions Website Contact the organisation

The Archives of the Archbishop of Malta contain the diocesan records from the second half of the 15t

The Archives of the Archbishop of Malta (AAM) contain the diocesan records from the second half of the 15th century up to the present day. It is thus not only a historical archive, but one that continues to grow. Since the Church was the only institution who up to the second half of the 19th century preserved records on the population in general, the material conserved in its archives constitutes a valuable, and indeed indispensable, source of information not only for historians interested in the history of our nation, but also for researches who embark on studies as varied as demographic growth, social studies, economic history, as well as all those eager on reconstructing their family history. The Archdiocese of Malta has embarked on the project of completely refurbishing its Diocesan Historical Archive, so as to better provide for the conservation of the documentation held within it. This Archive stands as a visible witness to the constant service that the Church in Malta has offered throughout the centuries, as it continues to do, to the people of these islands. This archive holds a vast collection of documentation spanning more than five centuries, including documents related to Pastoral Visits, and the Status Animarum, both indispensable collections in society studies, those related to the Bishops’ secretariat, to parishes and confraternities, all necessary sources in the study of the ecclesiastical and civil history of Malta. Other collections include those related to the institution of marriage, most useful for the research of family trees, and yet others stand as a documentary testimony to the development of the artistic patrimony of our islands.

29/10/2026

📜 Over 230 Years of History at Your Fingertips!

The Archdiocesan Archives of Malta has recently digitised eight additional volumes of Pastoral Visits, comprising over 4,500 images, conducted by Bishop Vincenzo Labini, who served as Bishop of Malta from 1780 until his death in 1807.

🔎 With these latest additions, researchers can now explore pastoral visit records spanning from 1570 to 1805, beginning with the visit of Vicar General Antonio Bartolo (VP01) and ending with the final pastoral visit conducted by Bishop Labini (VP46).

📖 These records offer valuable insights into Malta’s religious, social and local history across more than two centuries.

🌐 Explore the collection: https://archives.church.mt

💻 Access is free! Simply register or log in to your existing account to consult the digitised records.

26/10/2026

A reminder for tonight's book launch at 7.00pm at the Jesuits' Church Oratory, Valletta.

📖 BOOK LAUNCH | DUSINA: New Perspectives on the Apostolic Visitation to Malta, 1574–75

The public is cordially invited to the launch of DUSINA: New Perspectives on the Apostolic Visitation to Malta, 1574–75, edited by Prof. Petra Caruana Dingli and Rev. Prof. Nicholas Joseph Doublet.

The publication offers various perspectives on the Apostolic Visitation conducted by Mgr Pietro Dusina in 1574–75, a significant episode in the religious and ecclesiastical history of Malta.

📅 Monday, 26 October 2026

🕖 7:00 pm

📍 Oratory of the Onorati, Jesuits’ Church, Valletta

Speakers:

- Dr Joan Abela
- Mr Daniel Cilia
- Dr Alex Vella Gregory

24/10/2026

18/10/2026

🏛️ ILLUM IL-KURJA TAL-ARĊISQOF TIFTAĦ IL-BIBIEN TAGĦHA GĦALL-PUBBLIKU!

Fl-okkażjoni ta’ Ġenna ta’ Ġonna, attività organizzata mill-Kunsill Lokali tal-Furjana, il-Kurja tal-Arċisqof, magħrufa bħala Casa Manresa, illum qed tilqa’ lill-pubbliku sal-5:00 p.m.

Din il-binja storika tas-seklu tmintax, li oriġinarjament kienet isservi bħala dar tal-eżerċizzi spiritwali tal-Ġiżwiti, hija mogħnija b’wirt artistiku u arkitettoniku importanti, fosthom xogħlijiet tal-artisti rinomati Antoine Favray u Francesco Zahra, kif ukoll ir-refettorju storiku tagħha fost l-oħrajn.

⛪ Nistednukom iżżuruna u tiskopru l-istorja, l-arti u l-wirt kulturali li tħaddan din il-binja fil-qalba tal-Furjana.

📅 Illum, il-Ħadd 18 ta’ Ottubru 2026

🕔 Miftuħa sal-5:00 p.m.

📍 Casa Manresa – Il-Kurja tal-Arċisqof, il-Furjana

Nistennewkom!

17/10/2026

Għal għada. Miftuħin għall-pubbliku mid-9.00am sal-5.00pm.

16/10/2026

Nhar il-Ħadd li ġej, 18 ta’ Ottubru 2026, fl-okkażjoni tal-attività Ġenna ta’ Ġonna fil-Floriana, il-Kurja tal-Arċisqof se tiftaħ il-bibien tagħha għall-pubbliku.

🏛️ Nistednukom iżżuru l-binja storika tal-Kurja tal-Arċisqof fil-Furjana, magħrufa bħala Casa Manresa, u tiskopru aktar dwar il-wirt storiku u arkitettoniku tagħha.

Matul din il-ġurnata, il-viżitaturi se jkollhom l-opportunità li jakkwistaw diversi pubblikazzjonijiet, fosthom dawn iż-żewġ kotba:

📖 Peter in the Island of Paul: Milestones in the History of Relations between Malta and the Holy See — Nicholas J. Doublet (2026).

📖 Documentary Sources of Maltese History – Part I: Notarial Documents, No. 4: The Landed Property of the Religious Orders in Malta in 1600 — editjat minn Stanley Fiorini (2024).

📅 Il-Ħadd, 18 ta’ Ottubru 2026

🕘 Mid-9:00 a.m. sal-5:00 p.m.

📍 Il-Kurja tal-Arċisqof, il-Furjana

Nistennewkom!

18/09/2026

09/06/2026

📜 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭, 𝟏𝟕𝟏𝟕 — 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞ħ𝐚🗃️

On 20 June 1717, Bishop Giacomo Canaves began his pastoral visit in Mellieħa and the surrounding areas. Among the records of this visitation survives a detailed three-day account of provisions consumed and services rendered.

The document lists a range of food items—including finer provisions such as semolina bread 🍞 and imported cheese and w**e 🧀🍷—as well as the payment for fish 🐟 consumed on Saturday, observed as a day of abstinence. Notably, it also records snow (ice), then imported from Sicily ❄️.

Today, on 𝓘𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓐𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓓𝓪𝔂, we remember all those who have worked—and continue to work—to preserve this heritage and make it accessible, as well as the researchers 🔎 who bring such documents to light through their studies.

Ref: AAM, VP30D Canaves, f. 1215.

05/05/2026

📚✨ BOOK LAUNCH INVITATION ✨📚

You are cordially invited to the launch of:
📖 Peter in the Island of Paul: Milestones in the History of Relations between Malta and the Holy See

📅 Tomorrow — Wednesday, 6 May 2026
🕡 18:30
📍 Onorati Oratory, Jesuit’s Church, Valletta

🤝 We look forward to welcoming you.

05/05/2026

Over the past weeks, students following the Paper Conservation course at MCAST visited the Diocesan Archives’ conservation laboratory with their lecturer, Ms Sarah Portelli. During these sessions, they practised conservation techniques under the guidance of the Diocesan Archives’ conservators.

Address

The Archbishop's Curia, Saint Calcedonius Square
Floriana

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 12:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 12:15
Wednesday	09:00 - 12:15
Thursday	09:00 - 12:00
Friday	09:00 - 12:15

Telephone

0035625906213

Website

http://archives.church.mt/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Malta Diocesan Archives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.