Giorgio Grognet de Vassé (1774–1862) was a Maltese architect and antiquarian, who is mostly known for designing the Mosta Basilica, popularly known as the

Rotunda of Mosta The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady ( mt, Santwarju Bażilika ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta ( mt, Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta) or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church and Basilica in Mosta, Malta, ...

. In the late 18th century, he studied at

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with ...

in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

to become a priest. However, he developed a strong support for the

Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

s, and he joined the French expeditionary force as an officer during the

Egyptian campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. He eventually returned to Malta in the 19th century, some years after the uprising against French rule had ended. Domen i Mosta

By the 1830s, the parish church of

Mosta Mosta ( mt, Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest ...

, which had been built in the 17th century by the architect

Tommaso Dingli Tommaso Dingli ( mt, Tumas Dingli, 22 December 1591 – 28 January 1666) was a Maltese architect and sculptor. One of the last Renaissance architects on the island, he designed several parish churches, most notably those of Attard and Birkirkar ...

, had become too small to cater for the town's population. Grognet proposed rebuilding the church on a neoclassical design based on the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...

in Rome. Despite opposition from Bishop

Francesco Saverio Caruana Francesco Saverio Caruana (7 July 1759 – 17 November 1847) was a Maltese prelate who was Bishop of Malta from 1831 to his death in 1847. He was also a rebel leader during the Maltese uprising of 1798–1800. Caruana was born in Żebbuġ on ...

, the design was approved and construction of the church began on 30 May 1833. Grognet had never received any formal architectural training, so during construction he received consultation services from a member of the

Sammut Sammut is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Antoinette Cini (née Sammut; born 1993), Maltese former footballer * Carmen Sammut, Maltese Catholic sister * Carmen Sammut (professor) (born 1966), Maltese professor * Claude Samm ...

family. The church took 28 years to build, being completed in the early 1860s. The church's design was praised both during construction and after its completion, and it is considered to be Grognet's masterpiece. Grognet was also an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

, and he had a deep knowledge of the

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. Following the discovery of ancient sites such as

Ġgantija Ġgantija (, "Giantess") is a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic on the Mediterranean island of Gozo. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erec ...

and

Ħaġar Qim Ħaġar Qim (; "Standing/Worshipping Stones") is a megalithic temple complex found on the Mediterranean island of Malta, dating from the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC). The Megalithic Temples of Malta are among the most ancient religious ...

during his lifetime, he came to believe that Malta was the location of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

. He published a short compendium detailing this theory. Grognet married Signora Orsetta della Grazie Paleologo in 1834. He lived mostly in the capital

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 ...

, but while supervising the construction of the rotunda he lived at a house in Mosta belonging to the notary Francesco Chetcuti. This townhouse is now called Villa Grognet, and its design is attributed to Grognet. Upon completion of the rotunda, Grognet received an annual pension of £100 from Governor Le Marchant, but he died a few months later in 1862. He was buried in the chapel of the Virgin of the Girdle at the Mosta rotunda.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grognet de Vasse, Giorgio 1774 births 1862 deaths Maltese military personnel Military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars 19th-century Maltese architects Neoclassical architects Maltese antiquarians 19th-century antiquarians Maltese people of French descent Architects of Roman Catholic churches