The Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or simply known as the Carmelite Church or Balluta Parish Church, is a

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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, ...

located in

Balluta Bay Balluta Bay is a bay on the northeast coast of Malta within St. Julian's. It is a popular recreation spot used for swimming, diving, and water sports, with a triangular ''pjazza'' surrounded by cafés and shaded by Judas trees. Its skyline is ...

in the town of

St Julian's, Malta Saint Julian's ( mt, San Ġiljan) is a town in the Central Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-or ...

History

The present church, which is a prominent landmark in St Julians, dates from the early to the mid 20th century. The original Carmelite church was a small neo-gothic chapel which was built in 1859 on plans by

Giuseppe Bonavia Giuseppe Bonavia (1821 – 2 September 1885) was a Maltese draughtsman and architect who was mainly active in the second half of the 19th century. Born in Valletta, he was initially a clerk of works with the Royal Engineers, before becoming the H ...

. The church was rebuilt in 1877 on plans by

Emanuele Luigi Galizia Emanuele Luigi Galizia (7 November 1830 – 6 May 1907) was a Maltese architect and civil engineer, who designed many public buildings and several churches. He is regarded as "the principal Maltese architect throughout the second half of the ni ...

. Afterwards it was handed over to the Carmelite friars who rebuilt it again in 1900 on plans by architect

Gustavo R. Vincenti Gustavo Romeo Vincenti (26 August 1888 – 25 April 1974) was a Maltese architect and developer. Born into a wealthy and business oriented family in Valletta and Floriana, he was able to purchase land and design and build buildings which he woul ...

. After his death Joseph M. Spiteri took over. The church was then enlarged in 1958. In 1974, the area around the church was created into a parish, separate from the parish of St Julians, and the Carmelite church was chosen as the parish church. The church was dedicated on December 12, 1984."The Carmelite Church, Balluta Bay"
''Victoria web''. Retrieved on 11 May 2017.

References

{{Authority control St. Julian's, Malta 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Carmelite churches in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 19th-century establishments in Malta Gothic Revival church buildings in Malta