The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...

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 ...

was founded in 1877, and has been a

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, ...

since 1918.

History

The church was built on the initiative of Fr. Paul Vella, between 1877–1881, and six months after its completion in November 1881 it was handed over to the Maltese Province of the

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachin ...

. The provincial superior at the time was Fr. Anton M. Cesal, who appointed Fr. Aegidius Portelli as its rector. In 1930 the church was enlarged to handle the increased population. It was built in a Roman-Ionic style, with gilded sculptures and decorative paintings. The dome is decorated with paintings of different Franciscan saints, and the ceiling depicts joyful episodes from the life of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

. The altar has five paintings by the Maltese artist

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 ...

, one of which is his masterpiece representing St Gerome half naked in the grotto in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. The statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was made in 1879 by the Maltese artist

Girolamo Darmanin Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – after ...

and brought into the church on 26 June 1881, the day the church was consecrated and opened for worship. During World War II, the church was heavily damaged and the Franciscan friary was completely destroyed. A Franciscan Father and 22 others died buried under the rubble. Through the years, Devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart spread rapidly throughout Malta. A perpetual novena is held every Wednesday in honour of the

. The feast day is celebrated on the first Sunday of July, with liturgical services, a procession of the statue around the decorated streets of the parish, outdoor festivities and fireworks.

References

* Information taken from a publication in Maltese about the Sanctuary "Is-Sacro Cuor", 1968; and from a researched and documented history of the Sanctuary published in Maltese, "Il-Parrocca Madonna tas-Sacro Cuor, Tas-Sliema - Taghrif Storiku", 1993.

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady Of The Sacred Heart Parish Church, Sliema, Malta Religious organizations established in 1877 Sliema National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Roman Catholic churches completed in 1881 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta 1877 establishments in the British Empire

History

See also

References

External links