The Church of St James 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 ...

. A previous Mannerist church was built on site in the early 17th century and demolished in the early 18th century to build the present baroque church. Built on the designs of Romano Carrapecchia, the church served for religious service to the Langue of Castille. It remain an active church, found in Merchants Street, and it is a scheduled cultural building in a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. The church has a number of artistic features, including its imposing façade and paintings, one drawn by Filippo Paladini and another dating back than the present church itself. Nowadays the church is also used for services by the

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

and the

Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. It was given autocephaly by Shenouda III of Alexandria, pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, after Eritrea gained its in ...

History

The first church was built in 1612, but was later demolished to build a new baroque church between 1709 and 1710. Some unreliable sources have attributed the designs of the church to architect Giovanni Barbara. However, the architect was

Romano Carapecchia Romano Fortunato Carapecchia (1666–1738) was an Italians, Italian Baroque architect who was active in Rome, Malta and Sicily. His designs helped transform Malta's capital Valletta into a Baroque city in the first few decades of the 18th century ...

, who designed the church in

Italian baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

. 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 ...

Exterior of the church

The façade of the church includes pillars, niches, windows and baroque designs. The church is 2 stories high. Above the main door one can see a big window. Above it one can see the coat of arms of the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

held by two angels with a seashell on top. At one point in the 18th century the church's exterior was redesigned, by the known architect

, when it was given a Baroque character.

Interior of the church

The interior of the church is built on the form of an oval excluding the sanctuary of the church. The titular painting was done by Filippo Paladini. It depicts

St James the Greater James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...

at the entrance of a cave holding a stick and an angel holding a palm leaf symbolizing his martyrdom. Below the titular painting one can see an oval painting depicting

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

. It is a copy of a Spanish painting found in Madrid known as the ''Madonna di Soledad''. The painting was brought to Malta in 1646 by cleric of the Order of St John."Il-Knisja ta' San Ġakbu- fil-Belt Valletta -"
, Malta. Retrieved on 24 October 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of St James, Valletta 1612 establishments in Malta Roman Catholic churches in Malta Buildings and structures in Valletta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands

History

Exterior of the church

Interior of the church

See also

References