Giorgio Grognet de Vassé (1774–1862) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of 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 (), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta () or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church and basilica in Mosta, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built between 1833 an ...

. In the late 18th century, he studied at

Frascati Frascati () is a city and 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 science, ...

in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

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

Jacobin The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...

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

Egyptian campaign The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

. 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 () 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 unsupported ...

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

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

, had become too small to cater for the town's population. Grognet proposed rebuilding the church on a neoclassical design based on the Pantheon 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 7 ...

, 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 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 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 artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

, and he had a deep knowledge of the

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. Following the discovery of ancient sites such as

Ġgantija Ġgantija (; "place of giants") is a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic era (–2500 BC), on the List of islands in the Mediterranean, Mediterranean island of Gozo in Malta. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temp ...

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 religio ...

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

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

. 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 ( ; , ) 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 ...

, 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