Our Lady of Victories Church, Valletta

For other uses of "Our Lady of Victories", see Our Lady of Victory (disambiguation).
Church of Our Lady of Victories
Knisja tal-Madonna tal-Vitorja
Church of Our Lady of Victories
35°53′45.6″N 14°30′38.5″E / 35.896000°N 14.510694°E
Location Valletta
Country Malta
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website Website of the church
History
Founded 1566
Dedication Our Lady of Victory
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Church
Architectural type Church
Style Baroque
Administration
Archdiocese Malta
Clergy
Archbishop Paul Cremona
Rector Anthony Galea

Our Lady of Victories Church was the first building completed in Valletta. The body of Jean Parisot de la Valette was entombed in the church until St. John's Co-Cathedral was built.[1]

Origins

The church was built to commemorate the victory of Knights of the Order of St John and the Maltese over the Ottoman invaders on 8 September 1565.[2] It was built on the site where a religious ceremony was held to inaugurate the laying of the foundation stone of the new city Valletta on 28 March 1566. Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette personally funded for the building of the church. Upon his death in 1568 De Valette was buried in the crypt of the church but was later reburied in St. John's Co-Cathedral.

In 1617 the order of St John chose this church as their parish church. The church was then dedicated to St Anthony of Egypt. In 1699 the apse of the church was enlarged on the orders of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful. In 1752 the façade, sacristy, belfry and the parish priest’s house were enlarged. The façade received a beautiful baroque look. The façade also includes a bronze bust of Pope Innocent XII.[3] In 1837 the church became the Garrison Church to the Royal Malta Fencibles which later became the Royal Malta Artillery. In 1942 the church ceiling was damaged as a consequence of an air raid that hit Valletta which also destroyed the nearby Royal Opera House.[4] In 2000 the National trust of Malta, Din l-Art Helwa, started a project of restoration. The exterior restoration was completed by 2002. The interior renovation started in 2004. The church is still being restored and work should conclude by 2016.[5]

Works of Art

The church has a number of artistic treasures. The paintings on each end above the altar depict St Anthony of Egypt and St Anthony of Padua. These were brought to Malta in 1530 by the Knights of Malta after Emperor Charles V gave the island to the Order of St John as its base. The church also includes works by Francesco Zahra, Ermenegildo Grech and Enrico Arnaux.

In 1716 Ramon Perellos y Roccaful commissions Alessio Erardi to paint the vault of the church. He pains scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

References

  1. ↑ "Our Lady of Victory Church Valletta". Retrieved on 14 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta", Din l-Art Helwa, Malta, 6 October 2011. Retrieved on 14 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Valletta - The Churches". Retrieved on 14 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Our Lady of Victory", Din l-Art Helwa, Malta. Retrieved on 14 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Our Lady of Victory church restoration", Times of Malta, Malta, 7 September 2013. Retrieved on 14 October 2014.

Coordinates: 35°53′45.6″N 14°30′39.3″E / 35.896000°N 14.510917°E

See also