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The '
Church of St Catherine of Alexandria
'' (), commonly known as the Church of St Catherine of Italy (, ) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was built by the Hospitaller Langue of Italy and it serves as the parish church of the Italian community of

Origins

The church was built in 1576 by the Italian knights of St John to serve as their church. It was built adjacent to the Auberge d'Italie.

Girolamo Cassar Girolamo Cassar (, 1520 – 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1567. He was involved in the construction of Valletta, initially as an ...

was commissioned to draw up the plans. In the 17th century the church was enlarged. An octagonal church was added to the existing chapel. The original chapel was changed into the sanctuary of the church. The church underwent a major restoration from 2001 till 2011. Today the church still serves as the parish church of the Italian community of Malta. 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 ...

Works of Art

The titular painting was painted by

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

. It depicts the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria. Preti donated the painting to the church after his arrival in

. The cupola of the church was also painted by Preti. He drew it with painted stucco decorations and ornamental patterns in grey and gold."Church of St Catherine of Alexandria"
. Retrieved on 23 October 2014.

References

{{Valletta 1576 establishments in Europe Roman Catholic churches in Malta Buildings and structures in Valletta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Church buildings of the Knights Hospitaller 16th-century establishments in Malta Baroque church buildings in Malta

Origins

Works of Art

See also

References