Four Historic Churches of Malta and Gozo

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Religion has been the most significant influence throughout Malta’s history, and the most important contributing events were the attempted expansion of the Turkish empire, and the rise of the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who were prominent during the Crusades. They arrived in Malta by sea in 1530 after the Turks expelled them from Rhodes. They added greatly to Malta’s church legacy, so that today there are some 350 churches on the two islands of Malta and Gozo. Most are Roman Catholic, but there is no official state religion. In this tiny country you can marvel at five centuries in the evolution of church design and decor.

The Capital City of Valletta:

At least two of its many churches merit special attention. Most historically significant is St. John’s co-cathedral, built by the Knights in the 1570s. Once inside I was overwhelmed by its baroque yet tasteful atmosphere from floor to ceiling. Sir Walter Scott once called it the most beautiful interior he had ever seen.

The smooth polished marble floor covers the graves of some 350 Knights, whose colourful armorial bearings are themselves works of art. The ceiling is resplendent with biblical scenes of great beauty and intricacy. History and culture are everywhere in this cathedral, without obvious excesses. The great Caravaggio painted some of his finest works while serving there. The museum contains his priceless 1608 masterpiece “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist”, while one of the nine side chapels contains his well-known painting of St. Jerome. Although Napoleon’s troops looted the churches and carried off most of the Order’s silverware in 1798, the sacred items still on display today are both priceless and tasteful. (Napoleon got his comeuppance: Nelson unwittingly sank the ship containing his booty).

Also in Valletta we find the baroque, and to my mind a bit too colourful, parish church of “Saint Paul’s Shipwreck”. The good Saint was shipwrecked along with St. Luke on Malta in 60 AD. While there he converted the Roman governor to Christianity, which led to Paul’s eventual martyrdom. An artifact in the church, donated by a pope, is reputed to be the very block on which he was beheaded.

Mosta:

Built in the mid-1800s, Saint Mary’s, the parish church of the small town of Mosta, long featured Europe’s third largest dome, after St. Peter’s (Rome) and St. Paul’s (London). During WW II the population of the town used to huddle in the church during air raids. In April 1942 in an act of supreme contempt, Axis pilots dropped three huge bombs directly onto the packed church’s dome. Two bounced off but the third one smashed right through and landed in the midst of the terrified congregation, but did not explode. It was subsequently disarmed, and now occupies a place of honour in a small room behind the altar under a copper bas-relief of the Virgin sheltering the church. It’s one of Malta’s major tourist attractions.

Victoria, Gozo’s Capital

In mediaeval times churches were fortresses as well as places of worship: such was the case of the Assumption Cathedral in Victoria. Located within a protective “Citadel”, it is still surrounded by cannon. It bore the brunt of Turkish assaults in the 1550s, and was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1693. When it was rebuilt it featured a unique and unforgettable work of trompe l’oeil art, the “dome” which is actually painted onto the flat ceiling. For a complete tour see this video: http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/victoria-m-go-vic.htm .

This has only been a brief glimpse of a small part of Malta’s enormous religious heritage, which is only one of its many interesting attractions.

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