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St Paul's Pro-Cathedral (
Malti Maltese ( mt, Malti, links=no, also ''L-Ilsien Malti'' or ''Il-Lingwa Maltija''), is a Semitic languages, Semitic language derived from Siculo-Arabic, late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance languages, Romance Stratum (linguistics), superstra ...
: ''Il-Pro-Katridral ta' San Pawl''), officially The Pro-Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Paul, is an
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostolic ...
of the
Diocese in Europe The Diocese in Europe (short form for the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe) is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and th ...
situated in Independence Square,
Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
,
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 ...
. A "pro-cathedral" is a church with cathedral status though not being the main cathedral. It is one of three cathedrals of the Anglican
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe The Diocese in Europe (short form for the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe) is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and th ...
.


Origin and construction

The cathedral was commissioned by the Dowager
Queen Adelaide , house = Saxe-Meiningen , father = Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen , mother = Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy Rom ...
during a visit to Malta in the 19th century when she found out that there was no place of
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
worship on the island. Prior to this Anglican services were held in a room in the Grand Master's Palace. Built on the site of the
Auberge d'Allemagne Auberge d'Allemagne ( mt, Berġa ta' Alemanja) was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built between 1571 and 1575 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Germany. It was vacated in 1798 when the Order was expelled ...
(the conventual home of the German
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
), the cathedral was designed by
William Scamp William Scamp (5 June 1801 – 13 January 1872) was an English architect and engineer. After working on the reconstruction of Windsor Castle to designs of Sir Jeffry Wyatville, he was employed by the Admiralty from 1838 to his retirement in 1867 ...
and was built between 1839 and 1844. Queen Adelaide laid the foundation stone on 20 March 1839 and her banner hangs above the choir stalls. The original plans were designed by Richard Lankasheer; however, the building proved unstable, thus work had to resume on plans by Scamp in 1841. Scamp's designs located the altar on the west side of the church, but the Bishop of Gibraltar had a more conservative view, thus the designs were altered and Scamp designed an apse inside the great doors to hold the sanctuary on the east side.


War period and repairs

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the cathedral received minor damage and the roof collapsed, but most of the structure remained intact. During restoration works the original designs by Scump started to take shape. A quire and rood screen were built on the west side of the cathedral. A pulpit was also incorporated with the screen dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill. The new chancery was dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury
Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...
on 2 December 1949 in the presence of Princess Elizabeth. The east side of the cathedral was then transformed into a baptistery. The under-croft, constructed from remains of the basement of the
Auberge d'Allemagne Auberge d'Allemagne ( mt, Berġa ta' Alemanja) was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built between 1571 and 1575 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Germany. It was vacated in 1798 when the Order was expelled ...
was never used. In 1928, the Bishop of Gibraltar
Nugent Hicks Frederick Cyril Nugent Hicks (1872 – 10 February 1942) was a Church of England bishop and author who served as Bishop of Gibraltar from 1927 to 1933, and Bishop of Lincoln from 1933 to 1942. Life Born on 28 June 1872, Hicks underwent early edu ...
opened the under-croft as the new parish hall. In 1938, it was transformed into a gas-proof air raid shelter, which in the early days of the conflict was used by the chaplain, his wife and scores of Maltese citizens. In 2005 it was restored and upgraded.


Interior

A Valletta landmark due to its spire rising over 60 metres, it is constructed with Maltese limestone in a neo-classical style. The cathedral has columns with capitals of the
Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...
while the capitals of the six columns of the portico are of the Ionic order. The internal dimensions of the building are 33.5 metres x 20.4 metres. Behind the main altar is a painting titled ''Ecce Homo'', the work of A E Chalon, donated in 2014.


Steeple

The cathedral's steeple is a
landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
on its own being notably visible in the
Marsamxett Harbour Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...
. The church building 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, mon ...
. On 9 February 2017, the church council launched a project to restore the building and steeple with the aim of raising €3,000,000 to cover the costs.


Organ

Above the entrance to the cathedral is located the organ that originated in
Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...
in northwest
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The one-manual instrument was built in 1684 by Bernard Smith. There is a long-held tradition that it was played by
George Frederick Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
when on his way to Dublin for the first public performance of the "Messiah". It is believed he carried out some final rehearsals to fine-tune some of the choruses at
Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...
in 1742 when the organ was housed in the cathedral. However, it has been changed and rebuilt several times, most recently by Kenneth Jones of Dublin.


Association with British military forces

The oak panels around the high altar are a memorial to the Allied units which took part in the defence of Malta between 1940 and 1943. Twelve flags hang in the aisles representing amongst others the Royal Air Force, the British Merchant Navy, and the Royal Navy.


Chancellors of the cathedral

*
John Cleugh John Cleugh, D.D. (26 March 1793 - 25 March 1881) was Archdeacon of Malta from 1865 until his death. Biography Cleugh was born in Islington and was educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He was ordained priest on 25 May 1823 at the Ch ...
(1844–1877) * Henry White (1877–1878) * Ambrose Hardy (1878–1895) * Arthur Babington Cartwright (1896–1901) * Franklyn de Winton Lushington (1901–1903) * Daniel Collyer (1903–1905) * Charles Samuel Gustavus Lutz (1905) * Charles George Gull (1906–1907) * Walter Naish (1907–1908) * William Evered (1908–1910) * Arthur Fowler Newton (1910–1912) * Frederick Davies Brock (1913–1919) * Archibald Hugh Conway Fargus (1919–1922) * Arthur Cyprian Moreton (1922–1926) * Noel Ambrose Marshall (1926–1931) * Reginald Morton Nicholls (1931–1944) * Francis William Hicks (1944–1954) * Charles Paton (1955–1958) * Henry Rupert Colton (1959–1963) * Robert William Pope (1964–1965) * Launcelot MacManaway (1965–1966) * Donald Young (1966–1967) * Henry George Warren MacDonald (1967–1969) * Gordon Hyslop (1969–1973) * Howard Cole (1973–1977) * David Inderwick Strangeways (1977–1981) * John Walter Evans (1981–1985) * Kenneth William Alfred Roberts (1986–1989) * Philip John Cousins (1989–1995) * Alan Geoffrey Woods (1996–2003) * Tom Mendel (2004–2008) *
Simon Godfrey Simon Godfrey (born 18 October 1980) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Austr ...
(since 2009).


See also

* List of churches in Malta *
Religion in Malta The Catholic branch of Christianity is the predominant religion in Malta. The Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion, and it is also reflected in various elements of Maltese culture; however, in recent years the ...
*
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the cathedral for the Church of England Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe. Located in Cathedral Square, it is sometimes referred to simply as Gibraltar Cathedral, although it should not be confused with the Cat ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pauls Pro-Cathedral Valletta Buildings and structures in Valletta Cathedrals in Malta Churches completed in 1844 19th-century Anglican church buildings Anglican cathedrals in Europe Paul Valetta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Anglican church buildings in Malta 19th-century Church of England church buildings Collegiate churches in Malta 1844 establishments in Malta Neoclassical church buildings in Malta Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen