The Sacra Infermeria was used as a hospital for over 400 years under the Order of St. John, the French, and also the British. Once no longer a hospital the site was used as the HQ for Malta’s Police force, a command hall during WWII, a children’s theatre, and an examination centre – until it was rebranded as the MCC in 1979.

Now, its rich and long history is getting the attention it deserves with the Reliving the Sacra Infermeria AR experience. 

Reliving the Sacra Infermeria employs the latest technology to bring the museum to life with the simple use of your mobile phone. Through a dedicated app, you’ll relive historically accurate events that took place at the hospital, from the administering of last rites to the blessing of the chapel, all while you walk through the same halls where all the action happened.

Unlike any other museum in Europe, the Sacra Infermeria gives you a rare glimpse into what was while retaining the building’s current use as a conference site. Prior to purchasing the ticket, but by simply downloading the app, with the power of technology, you will get to see what the Chapel of the Bones looked like before it was destroyed in World War Two, just outside the Sacra Infermeria.

There are also some more light-hearted moments of the museum tour that make it worthwhile for the whole family.

One of those moments concerns AR games which allows you to become part of history, by giving you the opportunity of defending the Grand Harbour from enemy attacks.  It’s truly the most immersive museum experience in Malta where you can either sink invading ships, during the Great Siege of 1565, or shoot down air bombers that raided Malta in WWII.

You can also create your own AR scene and dance with AR characters in an effort to provide a totally unique and insightful avenue to experience and live history. 

The visual components of the tour are also accompanied by audio action thanks to a multimedia guide that will lead you through the Sacra Infermeria and narrate each and every stop for you, adding to the overall sensory experience of the place. 

But the real highlight of the Sacra Infermeria museum is when you reach the Holographic Display room where you’ll meet one of Malta’s most legendary historical figures, a digital life-size version of Grandmaster De Valette.

The MCC offers a world of opportunities to explore the decorated building like never before. In addition to the Sacra Infermeria AR Museum, the conference centre will soon be launching another interactive game. A scavenger hunt whereby patrons will be transported back to the time of The Black Death and are tasked with finding ingredients to create an antidote for the Maltese population. Confirming that similar to what we have experienced during this year, history always repeats itself. 

Moreover, a series of public lectures related to the Sacra Infermeria will be held with attendees getting a chance to learn about topics such as the history of medicine, the development of the local pharmaceutical industry and the role of the knights as warriors, caregivers and more. Further details will be out soon, so make sure to follow their social platforms. 

With Malta emerging into a post-COVID-19 world, heritage and culture are needed now more than ever and there’s no better place to start than the MCC.

Tag someone who would love this concept