The Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary is a Baroque

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 ...

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 the village of

Għaxaq Għaxaq ( mt, Ħal Għaxaq, ) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 4,722 people as of March 2014. It is mainly a residential area surrounded by land used for agricultural purposes. The village's name is probably re ...

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

Records show that since 1511, a church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary stood where the current church stands today. When

became an independent parish in 1626, the church became the parish church. The church was modified and enlarged multiple times, notably in 1655. Nonetheless, a new Baroque church was built instead between 1723 and 1760. The new church was consecrated on May 2, 1784."Parish church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Għaxaq"
''

Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

'', Malta, 20 September 2011. Retrieved on 08 June 2017.

Interior

The church includes a number of artifacts, amongst these the titular statue of the Blessed Virgin, carved in wood by Mariano Gerada in 1808. Another statue which could be found in this church is that of Saint Joseph which was made by Fratelli Bertarelli of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in the year 1932 and is also carved in wood. The paintings which decorate the church's ceiling were painted by

Emvin Cremona Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona (27 May 1919 – 29 January 1987) was a Maltese artist and stamp designer. He is regarded as one of the best Maltese artists of the 20th century. Cremona is known for designing most Maltese stamps from 1957 to th ...

during the 1960s while other works of art date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries mostly painted by famous Maltese artists:

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 ...

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 ...

, Rokku Buhagiar and

Gianni Vella Gianni Vella (9 May 1885 – 3 September 1977) was a Maltese artist. After studying in Rome, he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands, but he also produced some secular works including landscape ...

among others.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Għaxaq 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Għaxaq Baroque church buildings in Malta Religious organizations established in 1625 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1760