The Parish Church and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces () 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 ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

Żabbar Żabbar ( ), also known as Città Hompesch, is a city in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. It is the seventh largest city in the country, with an estimated population of 15,648 as of January 2021. Originally a part of Żejtun, Żabbar ...

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

Our Lady of Graces Our Lady of Graces (Italian: ''Madonna delle Grazie'' or ''Nostra Signora delle Grazie'') or Saint Mary of Graces (Italian: ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'') is a devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Several churches with this d ...

. The church was originally built between 1641 and 1696 to designs of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 ...

. Its façade, an outstanding example of

Maltese Baroque architecture Maltese Baroque architecture is the form of Baroque architecture that developed in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the islands were History of Malta under the Order of Saint John, under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of ...

, was built in 1738 to designs of Giovanni Bonavia. The dome was rebuilt in the early 19th century after it had been damaged during the French blockade of 1798–1800, and it was rebuilt again in the first half of the 20th century to designs of Giuseppe Pace.

History

A shrine dedicated to

existed in Żabbar since at least the 16th century, and it was sacked by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

during a raid in 1614. The town became a parish in 1615, and the present church was constructed between 1641 and 1696, to designs of the architect

. The main aisle was complete by 1658, and the old church was retained as a sacristy. The church was decorated with an altarpiece painted by

Alessio Erardi Alessio Erardi (1669–1727) was a Maltese painter. He was the son of the artist Stefano Erardi and his wife Caterina Buttigieg. He initially studied art with his father, and eventually spent five and a half years in Rome between 1695 and 1701. H ...

in 1715, and the interior was fully complete by 1723. The church radically altered in 1738, when its façade was rebuilt in the Baroque style to designs of Giovanni Bonavia. The church was dedicated on 31 October 1784. This has been hailed as one of the best examples of

. During the French blockade of 1798–1800, Żabbar was held by Maltese insurgents, and it was repeatedly bombarded by French forces from the nearby

Cottonera Lines The Cottonera Lines (), also known as the Valperga Lines (), are a line of fortifications in Bormla and Birgu, Malta. They were built in the 17th and 18th centuries on higher ground and further outwards than the earlier line of fortifications, k ...

. During one of the bombardments in November 1799, a cannon ball hit the church's dome, and a woman was killed by falling stones. Meanwhile, Maltese insurgents built an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

near the church in order to bombard French positions. After the blockade was over, the dome had to be completely rebuilt due to the damage it had sustained, while the right belfry had also suffered considerable damage and it was also repaired in 1801. In 1926, the dome was rebuilt again and side chapels were constructed to designs of Giuseppe Pace. In 1951, the church's altarpiece was crowned by Archbishop

Mikiel Gonzi Sir#British and Commonwealth honorifics, Sir Michael Papal nobility#Papal counts and countesses, Count Gonzi (born Mikiel / Michele Gonzi: 13 May 1885 – 22 January 1984), was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta from 1944 until 1976. He had b ...

, and in 2001 a silver diadem was placed on it by Archbishop

Joseph Mercieca Joseph Mercieca (, 11 November 1928 – 21 March 2016) was a Maltese prelate who served as the second Archbishop of Malta from 1976 to 2006. He is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following the dispute between the Labour Pa ...

. The church is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also 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 ...

Architecture

The church has a

cruciform plan A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

with three bay naves. It has two bell towers that have a pyramidal spire, a large dome and smaller ones on the transepts. The church's façade includes a colonnaded portico having rectangular recesses topped by an entablature, a cornice and balustrades. The façade is divided into three bays by flat pilasters topped by

Corinthian capitals The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

. It is further divided into tiers, with the middle one containing three apertures, with a window in the centre and statues on either side. The central bay has a scrolled pedestal and a cross.

Żabbar Sanctuary Museum

The Żabbar parish maintains a museum housed in a purposely-built building adjacent to the church. The museum was established in 1954, and it contains many artifacts, both religious and secular. Its key holdings include a collection of

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

paintings which were offered to Our Lady of Graces, two sedan chairs which were used by Grand Masters in the 17th and 18th centuries, and paintings and other works of art that were formerly located in the sanctuary and in other churches and chapels in Żabbar.

References

External links

* Żabbar 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Limestone churches in Malta Renaissance architecture in Malta Baroque church buildings in Malta Roman Catholic churches completed in 1696 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1738 National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands {{DEFAULTSORT:Parish Church of Our Lady of Graces, Żabbar