Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Valletta
Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel | ||
---|---|---|
Santwarju Bażilika tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu | ||
Style Neoclassical | | |
Years built | c. 1570–1591/1608 (first church) 1852 (façade) 1958–1981 (present church) | |
Specifications | ||
Number of domes | 1 | |
Number of towers | 1 | |
Materials | Limestone | |
Administration | ||
Archdiocese | Malta | |
Parish | Valletta (St Dominic) | |
Clergy | ||
Rector | Alex Scerri |
The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (
History
First church
The Carmelite Order had a presence on Malta from at least 1418,[1] and it established a church and convent within Valletta shortly after the city's founding in 1566. Hospitaller Grand Master Pierre de Monte transferred a plot of land to the Carmelites on 27 July 1570; the deed of transfer was retained within the records of notary Placido Habel. The property was transferred for 66 scudi, but in April 1571 del Monte issued two decrees which rescinded this sum, such that the Carmelites were granted the land for free.[2]
Carmelite vicar Ġwann Vella commissioned architect Girolamo Cassar to design the church and priory. While these were being constructed, mass was celebrated in a small temporary chapel dedicated to the Annunciation. Inquisitor Pietro Dusina visited it in February 1575 and made a record of its contents. The chapel served as the first parish church of Valletta,[1] until it was later absorbed into the parish of St Paul's Shipwreck.[3] Cassar's church was completed in 1591[4] or 1608.[1]
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, numerous Hospitaller knights donated money, property or artworks to the Carmelite friars, and one such knight, Girolamo de Fosses, paid for the construction of a chapel dedicated to
In 1852, a new façade was constructed to designs of architect
On 4 March 1942, during World War II, the church was bombarded and it suffered serious damage. The Carmelite friars subsequently decided to demolish its ruins and replace it with a new church.[1] Several artistic and historic objects were lost in the process,[6] although many of the old church's contents survived and were reincorporated into the new building.[7]
Present church
The present church was built to designs of the architect Ġużè Damato. Construction commenced on 30 April 1958, when the foundation stone was blessed by the Prior General. The building was completed on 15 June 1981, subsequently being blessed by Prior Provincial Manwel Gatt.[1] The church's dome is slightly higher than the bell tower of the nearby Anglican St Paul's Pro-Cathedral,[8] and it was reportedly deliberately designed in order to compete with it.[7]
The church's interior was sculpted by Joseph Damato over a period of 19 years.[8]
The church falls under the jurisdiction of the parish of St Dominic,[9] and the building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[10]
Architecture
The 16th century church had a length of 150 ft (46 m) and a width of 50 ft (15 m), and it consisted of a wide nave and lateral chapels with a total of ten altars. It had a low dome and a bell tower, and the interior was decorated by painted frescoes.[1]
The 20th century church has been described as an example of neoclassical architecture.[10] It has a large, 42 m (138 ft) high oval dome which occupies a prominent position in the Valletta skyline facing Marsamxett.[8] Internally, the church has columns of red marble.
A niche with a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is located is located on the church's exterior,[10] at the corner of Old Theatre and Old Mint Streets. The statue was sculpted by Salvatore Dimech in 1855.[11]
Artworks
The church's
A wooden statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which was sculpted in Naples in 1781 is located within a niche in the church. It stands on a silver pedestal designed by Abram Gatt, and it was restored by Publius Magro in the 21st century.[1]
The church also includes the 1670s work Beato Franco by Maria de Dominici.[7]
Burials
Numerous people were buried inside the church, including several Hospitaller knights,[2] Caterina Scappi and Caterina Vitale.[7] Scappi and Vitale's Baroque marble tombstones survived World War II and were affixed onto the walls of the new church.[6]
Notes
- ^ 18th and 19th century sources state that the painting also depicted Saint Lucy; the latter's figure is no longer apparent and it is believed to have been obscured during an 1856 restoration.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Duncan, Hermann (19 September 2016). "The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Galea, Michael (15 July 2022). "The Knights of St John and the Carmelite church in Valletta". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Santwarju Bażilika tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu (Patrijiet Karmelitani)". Archdiocese of Malta (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d Duncan, Hermann (21 August 2016). "The painting of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
- ^ Thake, Conrad (2016). "Giuseppe Bonavia (1821–1885): a Maltese architect with the Royal Engineers". At Home in Art: Essays in Honour of Mario Buhagiar (PDF). pp. 432–443, 487–490. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b Bonello, Giovanni (23 August 2015). "Caterina Scappi and her revolutionary hospital for women who were incurable". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780957215351. Archived from the original(PDF) on 10 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Building one of Malta's most iconic landmarks". Malta Audio Visual Memories. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Parroċċa tal-Belt Valletta – San Duminku". Archdiocese of Malta (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 9 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Basilica of the Madonna of Mount Carmel" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Niche of the Madonna of Mount Carmel" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2022.
External links
- Media related to Basilica Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Valletta) at Wikimedia Commons