Mosta Dome windows were found damaged after fireworks factory blast

The Mosta Dome, famed for surviving one of Malta’s most extraordinary World War II incidents, was found with minor damage after last month’s powerful fireworks factory explosion.

Two small windows in the church were found shattered on the day of the blast, parish priest Sebastian Caruana confirmed.

The explosion, which occurred at a fireworks factory in the Salina area of Naxxar, around 3.2 kilometres from the Rotunda, impacted people across central and northern Malta on June 1.

The blast killed and injured livestock, shattered windows and sent towering flames and thick plumes of smoke into the sky. Residents across several localities reported feeling the impact.

Despite concerns raised by residents, the parish priest downplayed the damage to the dome.

The two small windows measuring some 30 square centimetres “may have been damaged” even before the fireworks factory explosion, he said. He added that replacing them would not involve significant expense.

While the damage is minor, it inevitably draws comparisons with the church’s most famous brush with destruction.

In April 1942, during the height of World War II, a 500kg German bomb crashed through the Rotunda’s massive dome while around 300 worshippers were inside.

Remarkably, the bomb did not hit anyone and failed to explode. 

Three smaller bombs also struck the church during the same incident yet no one inside was injured. It became one of Malta’s most enduring wartime stories and is still regarded by many as a miracle.

Completed in 1860, the Mosta Rotunda boasts one of the largest unsupported domes in the world.

It was revamped with a €850,000 lighting upgrade in 2022.