Annunciation Church, Mdina on:
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The Church of the Annunciation also known as The Carmelite Church is a rich 
During the French occupation the church was ransacked by the French where valuables were stolen to fund Napoleon's wars. However, it is said that on one particular occasion, as the French were on their way to steal the church's damask, some rebels locked the church doors and a boy went up to the spire to sound the alarm. Consequently, this event gave birth to the resistance against the French."The Church"
''Carmelite Priory'', Malta. Retrieved on 25 March 2017.
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
priory church of the Priory of Our Lady of Mount Carmel located in Mdina
Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melite (ancient city), Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdin ...
, 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 ...
.
History
Records mention that on the site of the present church, stood another church dedicated to theNativity of Mary
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus.
The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bir ...
. Other sources mention that the chapel was dedicated to the Virgin of the Fortress (della Rocca). The chapel and the surrounding area was given to the Carmelites in the 1650s. The church was built between 1660 and 1675 on the designs of Mederico Blondel des Croisettes.
After the earthquake of 1693 which destroyed many important buildings, notably the medieval cathedral of St Paul, the cathedral chapter moved to the Carmelite church until 1702 when the new cathedral was rebuilt. Moreover, the church also served as the parish church during this time.
During the French occupation the church was ransacked by the French where valuables were stolen to fund Napoleon's wars. However, it is said that on one particular occasion, as the French were on their way to steal the church's damask, some rebels locked the church doors and a boy went up to the spire to sound the alarm. Consequently, this event gave birth to the resistance against the French.''Carmelite Priory'', Malta. Retrieved on 25 March 2017.
Works of art
The interior is enriched with baroque sculpture and paintings by notable artists such asMattia 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 Cava ...
, 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 Sebasti ...
, Michele Bellanti and Giuseppe Calì
Giuseppe Calì (14 August 1846 – 1 March 1930) was a Maltese painter of Italian descent.
Biography
Born in Valletta, Calì was baptised at the Dominican Parish Church of Porto Salvo, one of the seven offsprings of the artist and musici ...
. The ornately carved and gilded wooden frame around the titular painting is the work of Pietro Paolo Troisi
Pietro Paolo Troisi (29 June 1686 – March or April 1743) was a Maltese people, Maltese Baroque silversmith, sculptor, medallist, designer, engraver and Master of the Mint. His works include bronze sculptures of his patron António Manoel de Vil ...
, and the processional statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...
the work of Maltese sculptor Andrea Imbroll.
See also
*Catholic Church in Malta
The Archdiocese of Malta (Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Malta.
History
Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 A. ...
References
{{Subject bar , portal1= Catholicism , portal2= Malta Carmelite churches in Malta 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Mdina National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands