Church and Monastery of St Catherine, Valletta

St Catherine's Monastery (Maltese: Monasteru Santa Katerina ta' Lixandra) is a monastery in Valletta, Malta which houses cloistered nuns of the Second Order of Saint Augustine.

It incorporates the Church of the Presentation of Our Lady (Maltese: Knisja tal-Preżentazzjoni tal-Madonna), which is more commonly known as the Church of St Catherine (Maltese: Knisja ta' Santa Katerina).

The origins of St Catherine's Monastery date back to 1580, when the palace of the Marquis Giovanni and Katerina Vasco Oliviero in Valletta began to house the Orfani della Misericordia, a community of women who took care of children.

Vasco Oliviero left his possessions to the community, and the palace was transformed into a monastery in 1601.

[3] The monastery and church were rebuilt in the 18th century to designs of the architect Romano Carapecchia.

The monastery (left) and church (right) in 2013
Coat of arms of Valletta
Coat of arms of Valletta