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Church Of The Nativity Of Mary, Naxxar
The Church of the Nativity of Mary is a Roman Catholic baroque parish church located in Naxxar, Malta. History The Naxxar parish church was one of the 10 parishes, total of 12 when including the parishes of Mdina Cathedral and St Lawrence's church in Birgu, found to be existing by Bishop Senatore De Mello in 1436 and the villages of Mosta and Għargħur were subject to it. De Mello listed it as one of the 12 parishes of Malta and it was the first parish dedicated to Our Lady after that of the old cathedral in Mdina. In 1575, the parish of Naxxar had under its control a total of 36 churches – 14 in Naxxar, 5 in Għargħur, 12 in Mosta and 5 in the neighbourhood of these villages. The present church was built between 1616 and 1630 when there were 1200 inhabitants in Naxxar and it was felt that a larger church was needed. The design was made by Tommaso Dingli, one of the leading architects of the time. The parish priest was Father Gakbu Pace. The choir and the area around it was r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naxxar
Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxxar was formerly known for hosting the Maltese International Trade Fair at Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds. Naxxar is spread over an area of . Zones in Naxxar The whole locality comprises the following zones: * Naxxar Centre * Sgħajtar Area * Santa Marija tax-Xagħra * San Pawl tat-Tarġa * Birguma * Magħtab * Salina * Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq * Madliena (partly) Etymology According to legend and the Bible, the ''Naxxarin'' were amongst the first to help Saint Paul and his fellow shipwrecked passengers when their ship ran aground. For this reason many connect the name Naxxar with Nassar (Nasra) which means 'conversion to Christianity'. The name might alternatively be derived from the Maltese verb "Naxar", which means to hang up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Għargħur
Għargħur ( mt, Ħal Għargħur) is a village in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and it has a population of 2,768 as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village celebrates a different patron saint or two depending on the number of churches in the locality. Each church is dedicated to a different saint. For this reason, some villages celebrate more than one "festa" per year. The village band clubs, at times in collaboration with the members of the parish, are tasked with the organisation of the "festa". The competition between the band clubs can be quite fierce when it comes to the organisation of decorations and the fireworks shows, even if there is only one "festa" in the village. It gets even tougher when the locality celebrates two different patron saints, each honoured by an individual band club. The "festi" are held over the summer months. This is a time of great merrymaking for the loc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catacomb Of Calepodius
The Catacomb of Calepodius (also called the Cemetery of Calepodius) is one of the Catacombs of Rome, notable for containing the tombs of Pope Callixtus I (ironically, the creator of the Catacomb of Callixtus, which once contained the tombs of a dozen other popes) and Pope Julius I, along with the eponymous Calepodius. Prominent interments Callixtus I (217–222) was interred in the Catacomb of Calepodius, instead of that which bears his name, allegedly because the latter was under surveillance of the emperor's guards; this legend as well as that of Callixtus I's martyrdom is unlikely as there was no persecution of Christians under Alexander Severus, the emperor when Callixtus I died. However, Julius I erected a more elaborate tomb of Callixtus I in the catacomb in the fourth century, decorated with frescos of his alleged martyrdom.Reardon, 2004, p. 26. This tomb was discovered in 1960, although the relics were likely translated to Santa Maria in Trastevere in 790 by Pope Adrian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stefano Erardi
Stefano Erardi (1630–1716) was a Maltese painter whose works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands. His style has been described as either late Mannerist or Baroque. Biography Erardi was born in Valletta in 1630 to Sebastiano Erardi and Paulica Xerri. His younger brother Pietro was also a minor artist. Erardi married Caterina Buttigieg, and their son Alessio Erardi also became a painter. His works may be regarded as either late examples of Mannerism or early Baroque. Mannerism was outdated by Erardi's lifetime, but he probably became familiar with this style through studying paintings located in churches and collections in Malta. Erardi might have also been influenced by the works of Baroque artists such as Caravaggio, Domenichino and Guido Reni. Erardi was favoured among the government and church authorities, and consequently his paintings may be found in many churches and collections around Malta. He also had connections with Sicily, Naples and Rome whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Cavalier Calabrese'' (the Calabrian Knight) after appointment as a Knight of the Order of St. John (Knights of Malta) in 1660. His early apprenticeship is said to have been with the " Caravaggist" Giovanni Battista Caracciolo, which may account for his lifelong interest in the style of Caravaggio. Probably before 1630, Preti joined his brother Gregorio (also a painter), in Rome, where he became familiar with the techniques of Caravaggio and his school as well as with the work of Guercino, Rubens, Guido Reni, and Giovanni Lanfranco. In Rome, he painted fresco cycles in the churches of Sant'Andrea della Valle and San Carlo ai Catinari. Between 1644 and 1646, he may have spent time in Venice, but remained based in Rome until 1653, returning later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Alphéran De Bussan
Paul Alphéran de Bussan was a French Roman Catholic archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1728 till 1757. Early life Born in Aix-en-Provence, France on 28 October 1686 of noble parentage, Paul Alphéran de Bussan graduated in Bachelor of Theology from the University of Aix in 1705. He soon travelled to Malta and lived with his uncle, Melchior Alpheran de Bussan, a Conventual Chaplain of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. His brother Jean-Melchior Alphéran was also a member of the order of St John and became abbot of Sept-Fons Abbey in 1755. The ship on which the 19-year-old Paul was travelling was caught in heavy storms and had to seek shelter in St. Paul's Bay where he came ashore. Priesthood Paul was ordained priest by Bishop Davide Cocco Palmeri on 8 December 1710. He was received as Conventual Chaplain in the Langue of Provence. He was also prior of the convent church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte in Aix-en-Provence in 1720. He was appointed Secretary for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lorenzo Gafà
Lorenzo Gafà (1639–1703) was a Maltese Baroque architect and sculptor. He designed many churches in the Maltese Islands, including St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Victoria, Gozo. He was the younger brother of the sculptor Melchiorre Cafà. Life and works Main Gafà was born in 1639 in Birgu, to the stone carver Marco Gafà and his wife Veronica. He began his working life as a stone carver with his father and his older brother Melchiorre, who became a renowned sculptor. He might have studied architecture in Rome, although there is no documentary evidence that he ever left Malta. It is possible that Gafà was an apprentice of the Italian architect Francesco Buonamici while the latter lived in Malta. By the early 1660s he had developed a strong interest in architectural design and in 1661 is known to have been involved in the choir of the Church of St. Philip in Żebbuġ. Sometime before 1666, he worked on the reredos of the main altar i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommaso Dingli
Tommaso Dingli ( mt, Tumas Dingli, 22 December 1591 – 28 January 1666) was a Maltese architect and sculptor. One of the last Renaissance architects on the island, he designed several parish churches, most notably those of Attard and Birkirkara. Biography Tommaso Dingli was born on 22 December 1591 in Attard, the son of the sculptor Giacobo Dingli and his wife Katerina Dingli née Tabone. He was the fourth of ten children, and one of his brothers was the artist Filippo Dingli. Dingli began his career as a ''scarpellino'' (stone carver) with his father Giacobo and his uncle, the engineer Andrea Dingli. In his early career as an architect, Dingli assisted the ''capomastro'' (master builder) Giovanni Attard during the construction of the Wignacourt Aqueduct between 1610 and 1614. In later years, Dingli obtained a number of commissions and he designed a number of parish churches. In 1633, Dingli is attributed to have designed the second ''Porta Reale'', the main city gate of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mosta
Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest unsupported dome, and displays a replica of a German bombshell that famously crashed through the dome but did not detonate upon impact. Mosta celebrates the parish feast of the Assumption every 15 August. Mosta's feast day celebration is popular amongst both locals and tourists. The city is annually decorated by local parishioners and townspeople, seeking to demonstrate their affection for the city and its patron saint, weeks ahead of the public procession. General History Mosta has been inhabited since pre-history. Dolmens in the limits of Mosta and cart ruts are primary evidence of this. Each dolmen has two rectangular standing stones and one other similar stone positioned horizontally above the other two. In the Middle Ages, Mosta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies south of Sicily (Italy), east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the current Maltese population is at least conversational in the Italian language. Malta has been inhabited since approximately 5900 BC. Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, with a succession of powers having contested and ruled the islands, including the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John, French, and British, amongst others. With a population of about 516,000 over an area of , Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country in area and fourth most densely populated sovereign cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birgu
Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of land with Fort Saint Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. Birgu is ideally situated for safe anchorage, and over time it has developed a very long history with maritime, mercantile and military activities. Birgu is a very old locality with its origins reaching back to medieval times. Prior to the establishment of Valletta as capital and main city of Malta, military powers that wanted to rule the Maltese islands would need to obtain control of Birgu due to its significant position in the Grand Harbour. In fact, it served as the base of the Order of Saint John and ''de facto'' capital city of Malta from 1530 to 1571. Birgu is well known for its vital role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. In the early 20th century, Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parish Church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, often allowing its premises to be used for non-religious community events. The church building reflects this status, and there is considerable variety in the size and style of parish churches. Many villages in Europe have churches that date back to the Middle Ages, but all periods of architecture are represented. Roman Catholic Church Each diocese (administrative unit, headed by a Bishop) is divided into parishes. Normally, a parish comprises all Catholics living within its geographically defined area. Within a diocese, there can also be overlapping parishes for Catholics belonging to a particular rite, language, nationality, or community. Each parish has its own central church called the parish church, where religious services take pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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