The Church of the Nativity of Mary is a

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 ...

church located within the historical

Fort St. Angelo Fort St. Angelo ( mt, Forti Sant'Anġlu or ''Fortizza Sant'Anġlu'') is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the ''Castrum Maris'' ( en, C ...

, in Birgu,

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

The origins of this church, built within the fort walls, is unknown. However it is known that by 1274, the church already existed. Historians assume that the church was probably built during the late 11th century, after Roger I of Sicily arrived in

and reconquered the island from the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

. It is said that the church was built as a thanksgiving by the Christians for the liberation of Malta from Muslim rule. The church is mentioned for the first time in 1274, under the name of St Angelo, when an inventory of the items located in the church was listed. Other records also list this church as the first parish church of the ''Castrum Maris'' or Castle by the Sea, as the fort was named in that time. In 1409,

Blanche I of Navarre Blanche I (6 July 1387Anthony (1931) states that she was the fourth-born daughter of King Charles III of Navarre by Queen Eleanor, and she was preceded by Joan, Maria and Margaret and the two latter died early. Anthony defines Blanche's exact birt ...

assigned the church under the care of Canon Ruġġieru Segona. By time, the church was used less frequently as people started to use the Parish church of St Laurence in Birgu instead. Consequently, the church was given under the jurisdiction of the Archpriest of Birgu."Il-knisja tal-Vitorja ~ Fil-forti Sant’Anġlu, Birgu ~"
''Kappelli Maltin''. Retrieved on 11 November 2017.

Occupation and access

Since this church was located within a castle which was usually used by the rulers who ruled Malta and hence was usually closed to the public, the public still had access to this chapel due to the fact that it was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Malta. It remained so when the

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

arrived in 1530. Nonetheless, there were numerous clashes of authority between the Order and the Bishop, notably the incident of 1621, when Bishop

Baldassare Cagliares Baldassare Cagliares ( 1575 – 4 August 1633) was a Maltese Roman Catholic prelate who was the Bishop of Malta from 1615 until his death. Biography Baldassare Cagliares was born in Valletta in around 1575; this year is approximate and the exa ...

formally protested against the obstacles he faced when attempting to visit the church. Access to the church was heavily restricted with the arrival of the British in 1800. However, access to the church was still given once a year on September 8 to commemorate Victory day. This went on until 1940 the church was destroyed by a direct hit by the luftwaffe during WWII. The church was restored in 1955. Nowadays, the church stands on government property however, the church is still under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Malta.

Interior

Originally this church had one altar and a painting depicting the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus. Two other side altars were added sometime later, one dedicated to St Angelo, patron of the fort, while the other to Saint Barbara. In 1658, pilasters were added to the interior.

References

{{reflist * * * * Roman Catholic churches in Malta Buildings and structures in Birgu National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands