Church of St Nicholas, Valletta
| Church of St Nicholas | |
|---|---|
|
Knisja ta' San Nikola Tal-Erwieħ | |
 | |
  Church of St Nicholas | |
| 35°53′58.5″N 14°30′59.9″E / 35.899583°N 14.516639°E | |
| Location | Valletta |
| Country | Malta |
| Denomination | Greek Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1569 |
| Dedication | Saint Nicholas |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Number of domes | 1 |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Bells | 5 (1886) |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Malta |
The Church of St Nicholas is a Greek Catholic church in the historic fortified city of Valletta in Malta.
History
The church was originally built to serve as a Greek Orthodox church in 1569. Following the Union of Brest in 1595-96 the Greek Catholic Church came into existence. It was in 1639 that the then parish priest decided to separate from the Orthodox church and join the Greek Catholic Church.[1]
Some time later it was decided to rebuild the church to the design of the Italian architect Francesco Buonamici.[2] The church was rebuilt on the ground plan of a Greek cross in 1652. It has a dome over the crossing supported by four free-standing columns, and a choir in the apse. On September 17, 1766, the parish church and the Confraternity of the Holy Souls signed a concordat that regulates their relations. San Nikola formally passed back into the hands of the local Greek Catholic congregation in 2014.
The church suffered considerable damage during World War II; it was repaired by the year 1951.[3]
Present day
Even though the church was originally built to serve the Byzantine rite Christians, today the church is used by the Latin Rite church although authority falls under Greek Catholic hierarch Archimandrite Fr. George Mifsud Montanaro. Greek Catholic (Byzantine Rite) liturgy is celebrated daily at the nearby church of Our Lady of Damascus on Archbishop Street in Valletta. The church of St Nicholas is also used by the Serbian Orthodox Church and Romanian Orthodox Church for Sunday Divine Services.[4]
References
- ↑ "Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of Valletta (14)", The Times of Malta, Malta, 21 June 2008. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.
- ↑ "St. Nicholas church, Tal-Erwieh, Merchants’ street, Valletta", One week Holiday. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.
- ↑ "Saint Nicholas Church", Archdiocese of Malta, Malta. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.
- ↑ "Orthodox Churches in Malta", Archdiocese of Malta, Malta. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.