Church of St Nicholas, Valletta

Coordinates: 35°53′58.3″N 14°31′0.5″E / 35.899528°N 14.516806°E / 35.899528; 14.516806
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Church of Saint Nicholas (All Souls)
Il-Knisja ta' San Nikola (tal-Erwieħ)
Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic
)

The Church of Saint Nicholas (

Greek Orthodox church in 1569, it was conceded to the Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory in 1639, who rebuilt the church in the Baroque style in 1652. The church was passed back to the Greek Catholic congregation in 2014 however the church is used from Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
.

History

The Church of St. Nicholas was originally built in 1569 as a Byzantine Rite parish church for the Greek Orthodox Church. The Greek Catholic Church came into existence following the Union of Brest in 1595–96. In 1639, the parish priest Papas Giovanni Metaxi decided to separate from the Orthodox church and join the Greek Catholic Church, and he conceded the church to the Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory.[1]

The church building was completely reconstructed to designs of the Baroque architect Francesco Buonamici in 1652.[2] Relations between the parish and the Confraternity are regulated by a concordat signed on 17 September 1766.[1]

18th-century relief about an indulgence of 40 days outside the church

The church suffered considerable due to aerial bombardment during World War II. It was repaired by 1951, and the repair works included a complete reconstruction of the façade.[1][2]

The church formally passed back into the hands of the local Greek Catholic congregation in 2014. Today, it is used by the

Divine Services by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[3][citation needed
]

Today, the church is a Grade 1 national monument,[2] and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[4]

Architecture

Interior of the church

The Church of St. Nicholas is built in the

Greek cross plan,[4] with a central dome over the crossing supported by four free-standing columns. It has a choir in the apse, which is flanked by a small sacristy. The church has a single bell tower which is located to the rear of the building.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Valletta (St. Paul)". The Church in Malta. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of Valletta (14)". Times of Malta. 21 June 2008. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.
  3. ^ Mifsud Montanaro, George (2010). "Orthodox churches in Malta" (PDF). The Church in Malta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Church of St. Nicholas" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2016.

Media related to Church of St. Nicholas (All Souls) at Wikimedia Commons

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