The Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas (, , is a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

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 ...

, dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

. Originally built as a

church in 1569, it was conceded to the Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory in 1639, who rebuilt the church in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style in 1652. As of 2021, the church is used by the Holy Patriarchal Exarchate

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

, led by Kyrillos (Katerelos) Metropolitan Bishop of Krini and Exarch of Malta. The church has a Greek and Ukrainian Parish.

Ecclesiastical Status

The Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas in Valletta is part of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, under the jurisdiction of the

. It operates within the Holy Patriarchal Exarchate of Malta, the ecclesiastical structure established to serve Orthodox parishes in the Maltese islands. The church hosts two parish communities: * The Greek Orthodox Parish, which offers services in Greek and English, is led by Archimandrite Nikólaos Gongádze, a resident priest of the Exarchate. * The Ukrainian Orthodox Parish, which offers services in Ukrainian, is led by Hieromonk Andreas Kravchenko, also resident at the church. Both parishes share the church building and collaborate in maintaining the liturgical, pastoral, and sacramental life of the Orthodox Christian community in Malta. The Exarchate is headed by His Eminence Kyrillos Katerelos, the Patriarchal Exarch of Malta, who provides spiritual oversight and canonical authority on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

History

The Church of St. Nicholas was originally constructed in 1569 to serve the Greek Orthodox community in Malta. In 1639, the parish priest, Papas Giovanni Metaxi, joined the Greek Catholic Church, placing the church under the care of the Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory. In 1652, the church was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style by the Italian architect Francesco Buonamici. During World War II, the church sustained considerable damage from aerial bombardment. It was repaired and restored by 1951, including a full reconstruction of the façade. Although the church was formally returned to the Greek Catholic community in 2014, it was later entrusted to the

, reflecting a renewed Orthodox presence in Malta. On 14 January 2021, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate established the Holy Patriarchal Exarchate of Malta as a separate jurisdiction from the Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, in order to better serve the Orthodox faithful on the islands. Kyrillos Katerelos was appointed as the first Patriarchal Exarch of Malta, assuming responsibility for the spiritual and administrative oversight of the Orthodox Church in the country. From 4 to 7 December 2022, His All-Holiness

Bartholomew I Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...

, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, made a historic official visit to Malta—the first ever by a reigning Ecumenical Patriarch. On 5 December, he presided over Great Vespers for the feast of Saint Nicholas at the Church of St. Nicholas in Valletta. The service was attended by local clergy, including Archbishop

Charles Scicluna Charles Jude Scicluna (born 15 May 1959) is a Canadian-Maltese prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of Malta since 2015. Both as a curial official and since becoming a bishop, he has conducted investigations into sexual a ...

of Malta, and members of both the Greek and Ukrainian Orthodox parishes. During the visit, Patriarch Bartholomew also met with President

George Vella George William Vella (born 24 April 1942) is a Maltese politician who served as the 10th president of Malta from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party, he previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, deputy p ...

and Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ian Borg Ian Borg (born 1986) is a Maltese politician currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT), as well as the Chair-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Organization ...

to discuss interreligious dialogue, the Orthodox diaspora, and regional cooperation.

Architecture

The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas is built in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

. Its façade is divided into three

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

at ground level, with a single central bay on the upper part. The church has a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

plan, with a central dome over the crossing supported by four free-standing columns. It has a

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

, which is flanked by a small

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

. The church has a single bell tower which is located to the rear of the building.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Valletta Baroque church buildings in Malta Limestone churches in Malta Greek Orthodox churches Eastern Christianity in Malta 1569 establishments in Malta Churches completed in 1652 Church buildings with domes National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Greek Catholic churches in Malta Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Malta Roman Catholic churches in Malta

Ecclesiastical Status

History

Architecture

See also

References