Chapel of St Nicholas, Fort Ricasoli
Chapel of St Nicholas | |
---|---|
Kappella ta' San Nikola | |
Years built | 1696–1698 |
Specifications | |
Length | c. 18 m (59 ft) |
Width | c. 9 m (30 ft) |
Materials | Limestone |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Malta |
Parish | Kalkara |
The Chapel of St Nicholas (
History
The Order of St John began to construct Fort Ricasoli in 1670. It was standard practice to include chapels in Hospitaller fortifications, and the military engineer Mederico Blondel was appointed to draw up plans for the chapel. Blondel initially proposed a church set within the fortification walls, but it was later decided to build it in a more central location near the fort's main gate. On 29 September 1693, Pope Innocent XII declared that the fort's chapel would be a parish church under the Order's jurisdiction.[1]
Work on the chapel commenced sometime after 31 March 1696. Construction and maintenance was funded by the Fondazione Cotoner which had been established by Grand Master
In 1700, a dispute between the Bishop of Malta and the Grand Master arose over their jurisdiction on the chapel. The chapel remained in use after Malta came under British rule in the 19th century, when it served the needs of Maltese soldiers within the fort. On 10 December 1897, the chapel fell under the jurisdiction of the newly-established parish of St Joseph of Kalkara.[1]
Fort Ricasoli was decommissioned by the British military in 1964.[4] The chapel was subsequently abandoned or used as storage space, and it fell into a state of disrepair.[1] In 2011 it was reported that a tomb in its crypt had been desecrated.[5] Plans to restore the chapel along with the rest of the fort were approved in 2019.[6]
The chapel is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[3]
Architecture
The Chapel of St Nicholas has a simple, militaristic design with subdued Mannerist and Baroque influences.[1][3] Its exterior is characterized by Tuscan pilasters and a cornice, and several windows allow natural light to enter the building.[1]
The chapel has a rectangular plan of about 18 by 9 metres (59 ft × 30 ft), and internally it contains three altars: a main altar dedicated to St Nicholas and secondary ones dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar and John the Evangelist. The latter two were established in 1749 and 1750 respectively.[1]
Underneath the building there is a crypt.[3] This contains a main altar dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows and secondary altars dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Flagellation of Christ, which were founded in 1751 and 1757 respectively.[1]
Artworks and relics
The chapel contained a number of artworks, and the main altarpiece which depicted St Nicholas with Grand Master Cotoner was painted by
About 77 relics were formerly housed in the chapel, and the most prestigious ones were housed in a box under the main altar.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Brincat, Duncan. "Il-knisja ta' San Nikola fil-Fortizza Ricasoli ~ fil-limiti tal-Kalkara ~". Kappelli Maltin (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 10 January 2020.
- ^ Bonnici, Hermann (2004–2007). "Fort Ricasoli" (PDF). Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (1–4): 33–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Chapel of St Nicholas – Fort Ricasoli" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2020.
- ^ Quintano, Anton. "Fortifications: Fort Ricasoli". Heritage: An Encyclopedia of Maltese Culture and Civilization. 4. Midsea Books Ltd: 1101–1107.
- ^ "Ricasoli Chapel tomb desecrated". The Malta Independent. 13 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020.
- ^ Leone Ganado, Philip (18 June 2019). "Not a moment too soon... Fort Ricasoli will finally be restored". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.