The Church of St Catherine ( mt, Knisja Arċipretali ta' Santa Katerina),

Żejtun Żejtun ( mt, Iż-Żejtun ) is a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at end 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, F ...

, 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 let ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, the seat of the archpriest of Żejtun and the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

of various parishes established from the originally larger territory of the Żejtun parish. The parish church, its oratory and an adjacent pastoral centre form a complex of Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings in the centre of town. The Church and its complex sit in front of the ''Il-Gwiedi'' quarter, commanding views from both the ''

Tal-Barrani Tal-Barrani is a primarily agricultural area in Malta that extends from the town of Żejtun to the villages of Santa Luċija, Ħal Tarxien and Ħal Għaxaq, lying across many south-eastern communities in Malta. The land gives its name to a near ...

'' and ''Triq l-Aħħar Ħbit mit-Torok'' town approaches. Its dedication to

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

dates back to an original church standing from this site, extant from at least the fifteenth century, and was one of the eight mother churches on Malta. The church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the Maltese baroque style by

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 bro ...

. Its construction was part of an urbanisation programme in Żejtun spearheaded by Gregorio Bonici. The church is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of Żejtun. Its dome, framed by the spires of its clock towers, have dominated the town's skyline for 300 years. Colloquially known as the ''Cathedral of the East ( Maltese: ''Il-Katidral tal-Lvant'')'', the church bears an imposing facade and a large internal dome. The church houses various important pieces of art, such as ''The Martyrdom of St Catherine'', an 18th century copy of the artwork by

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 Ca ...

in the Church of St Catherine in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

. St Catherine's is a working church with prayer and daily mass services.

History

The church was built to replace the old parish church of St Catherine, more commonly known as St Gregory's, which is located in the vicinity of the present parish church. The church was built as a result of

's increasing population. The land on which the church is built was donated by Girgor Bonici and Tumas Abela. The villagers had preferred to build their new church to the west of St Gregory’s, rather than the east, because this area was far too exposed to attacks from the enemy. A central location was chosen for the new parish church, which thus found itself in the focal point of the developing community. Today the church is located in the heart of the village. In 1692 Girgor Bonici, a former mayor of Mdina, bought a large plot of land right in the centre of Żejtun to build the new church. He not only bought the land but also contributed substantially throughout the next 30 years to finance the construction of the church. The residents of Żejtun contributed by offering to work in the construction for free on holidays and in the evenings. The architect was the famous

. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop

Davide Cocco Palmieri Davide Cocco Palmieri was an Italian, Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Malta from 1684 until 1711. Biography Cocco Palmieri was born in Southern Italy in March 1632. He was ordained priest of the Sovereign Military Order of Mal ...

on 25 November 1692, with Ugolino Bonnici as archpriest. The church was consecrated on 11 May 1742. Artists such as Enrico Regnaud,

Gio Nicola Buhagiar Gio Nicola Buhagiar ( mt, Ġannikol Buhagiar, 17 May 1698 – 21 March 1752) was a Maltese painter. Biography Buhagiar was born in Żebbuġ on 17 May 1698. He was the son of the stone carver Pasquale Buhagiar, while his mother was Leonora But ...

and

Francesco Zahra Francesco Vincenzo Zahra ( mt, Franġisk Żahra, 15 December 1710 – 19 August 1773) was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, as ...

all contributed towards magnifying the interior beauty of this church. The latter was the most talented artist of this period, whose presence in Żejtun was secured at an early age because his father, Pietro Paolo, was working on the stone carvings within the same church. The two side naves were finished in 1778. The church is listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mo ...

Parish Chuch Saint Catherine Zejtun 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of St Catherine, Zejtun Żejtun 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Church buildings with domes National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Roman Catholic churches completed in 1742