From out at sea, the 63-meter tall spire of St. Paul's Cathedral in Valletta blends in with the dome of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, was the first Protestant church built in Malta. The project was conceived in 1838 by Queen Adelaide, Dowager Queen of King William IV, who at the time was convalescing in Malta due to a serious illness. The site of the church was formerly occupied by the Auberge of Germany, which was dismantled to make room for the new structure. Queen Adelaide contributed the sum of 10,000 pounds, and the first stone was laid in March 1839. The plans were drawn by a British architect, who also supervised the works. When structural defects started to develop, the architect committed suicide. The works stopped for some time and resumed in 1842, under the direction of Frank Scamp, another British engineer who happened to be in Malta, engaged on the construction of the first drydock. The Cathedral was completed in 1844 at a total cost of 20,000 pounds.

The skyline of Valletta is dominated by the dome of the Carmelite Church (Our Lady of Mount Carmel), which was the first functional church in Valletta. Its doors were opened in 1570, soon after the Carmolite Friars had been granted a piece of land by Grand Master Pietro del Monte. The church was designed by Gerolamo Cassar, but underwent many susequent modifications and additions (the facade was rebuilt in 1852 to the design Giuseppe Bonavia). Unfortunately, the building suffered extensive damage during World War II because of the Italian and German air raids.