The Parish Church of Saint Mary () 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 ...

Attard Attard () is a town in the Northern Region of Malta. Together with Balzan and Lija, it forms part of the " Three Villages" () and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. It has a population of 12,268 as of 2021. Attard's traditional ...

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 the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

. Built between 1613 and 1624, the church is attributed to 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 ...

and it is regarded as the finest

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 ...

church in Malta. It still retains its original design, with the exception of a belfry and two sacristies which were added in the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

The Parish Church of St. Mary was built between 1613 and 1624, and its design is attributed to the architect

. The sculptures within the church are the work of Dingli himself and Giovanni Attard. Although Dingli had planned a belfry in the church, this was not built until 1718–19. It is sometimes attributed to the architect Giovanni Barbara, but there is no proof supporting this claim. The belfry has five bells, which were founded between 1713 and 1830. The clock on the belfry was made by Michelangelo Sapiano in 1872. The church was dedicated on 7 May 1730. The sacristy was built in 1740, and its ceiling was decorated by master builder Karm Debono in 1902. Another sacristy was built between 1856 and 1857 under the direction of master builder Mikiel Mamo. This is now used as a crying room. The church's

parvis A parvis or parvise is the open space in front of and around a cathedral or Church (building) , church, especially when surrounded by either colonnades or porticoes, as at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is thus a church-specific type of forec ...

was first built in 1891, but it was damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was rebuilt in 1958. 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 Parish Church of St. Mary is an example of

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

, and it is regarded as the finest Renaissance church in Malta. It is attributed to the architect and sculptor

, and it is believed to be one of only two surviving churches which retain Dingli's original design, the other one being the old Parish Church of St. Mary in

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

. The church's façade is framed by Corinthian pilasters, and it is topped by a triangular

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The main doorway is located in the centre of the façade, and the stonework around the portal and the capitals is very ornate, probably being influenced by the Spanish

Plateresque Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" (''plata'' being silver in Spanish language, Spanish), was an artistic movement, especially Architecture, architectural, developed in Spanish Empire, Spain and its territories, which appeared ...

style. Six niches containing statues of saints or Biblical figures decorate the façade, three on either side of the main doorway. The statues were sculpted by Francesco Saverio Sciortino in 1945. 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 a dome and a belfry. 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 ...

, two side chapels, a central aisle, two sacristies and ten altars. The ceiling of the aisle and the choir is decorated with frescoes.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Parish churches in Malta and Gozo Attard 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Renaissance architecture in Malta Limestone churches in Malta Roman Catholic churches completed in 1624 National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links