The Parish Church of Saint Joseph ( mt, Knisja Parrokjali ta' San Ġużepp) is an iconic Roman Catholic parish church in

Manikata Manikata is a small settlement in the limits of Mellieħa in the northwestern part of Malta. It oversees the farming areas in the valley between il-Ballut and il-Manikata. The village's population of 539 is spread among 40 families. Farming T ...

, Malta, dedicated to

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

. It was designed by Richard England in 1962, and it was built between 1964 and 1974. The church marks a break from traditional church building designs, and it is an example of Critical regionalism. Its form is inspired by the '' girna'', a traditional corbelled stone hut.

History

St Joseph Old Parish Church Manikata Malta

The first church in the village of Manikata was a small chapel dedicated to St Joseph, built in 1918. By the mid-20th century, this was too small to cater for the village's growing population, and plans were made to enlarge the chapel. These proved to be impractical, so in 1961 it was decided to build a new and larger church at a different location. The rector Manwel Grima asked the architect

Edwin England Sant Fournier Edwin England Sant Fournier (1908–1969) was a Maltese architect. He married the ''Marchesa'' Adeline Cassar Desain, with whom he fathered Richard England. Rialto Cinema in Cospicua His main work is deemed to be the Rialto Cinema in Bormla ...

to make plans for the new church, but the latter entrusted the job to his son Richard England, making the church his first commission. England designed the building in 1962, at the time when the Second Vatican Council was causing reforms in the Catholic Church. These reforms aimed at modernizing the Church proved to be a source of inspiration for England's concept for the new church building. The new church building's capacity stood at 700. The first stone was laid down by Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi on 16 August 1964, in the presence of Prime Minister George Borg Olivier and Minister Joseph Spiteri. The church's construction was marred by a restrictive budget of only £M20,000, a lack of skilled labourers, and the death of Grima in 1971. It was inaugurated by Archbishop Gonzi on 29 November 1974. It became a parish church on 16 February 1975, and it was consecrated by Archbishop

Joseph Mercieca Joseph Mercieca ( mt, Ġużeppi Mercieca, 11 November 1928 – 21 March 2016) was a Maltese prelate who served as the second Archbishop of Malta from 1976 to 2006. He is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following the dispu ...

on 17 February 1985. The church was scheduled as a Grade 1 building in 2011.

Architecture

The Manikata church is one of the most iconic and innovative churches in Malta. It broke away from traditional

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 ...

church designs, and England's concept was derived from site specific conditions relating to critical regionalism, along with a desire to mirror the then-ongoing reforms in the Catholic Church. The church consists of curving walls, which are meant to create an element of intimacy, and their configuration recalls the

Megalithic Temples of Malta The Megalithic Temples of Malta ( mt, It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta) are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island coun ...

. Another source of inspiration is the Notre Dame du Haut chapel by

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

, which also broke away from more conservative church designs in favour of sculptural forms. The overall form of England's church is inspired by an abstracted interpretation of the '' girna'', a type of traditional corbelled stone hut common in rural Malta. The church is aimed to capture both human spirituality along with the peace associated with the natural environment surrounding it.

References

External links

* {{Parish churches in Malta and Gozo Mellieħa Roman Catholic churches completed in 1974 1974 establishments in Malta 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta