St Francis of Assisi Church, dedicated to

St Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

(), 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 ...

(the capital city of

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 ...

), was built in 1598 and was completed by 1607.

History

After a few decades, however, the church developed structural defects and in 1681 it was built anew through the "munificence" of Grand Master

Gregorio Carafa Fra Gregorio Carafa (17 March 1615 – 21 July 1690) was a nobleman from the House of Carafa and the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1680 to his death in 1690. Early life Carafa was born on 17 March 1615 in Castelveter ...

, whose coat of arms adorns the façade. Malta - Valletta - Triq ir-Repubblika-Triq Melita - Church of St

The church was enlarged in the 1920s following plans by Emanuel Borg, which also included a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. This implied the removal of some of the frescos by

Giuseppe Calì Giuseppe Calì (14 August 1846 – 1 March 1930) was a Maltese painter of Italian descent. Biography Born in Valletta, Calì was baptised at the Dominican Parish Church of Porto Salvo, one of the seven offsprings of the artist and musician ...

, which were replaced with others by

Gianni Vella Gianni Vella (9 May 1885 – 3 September 1977) was a Maltese people, Maltese artist. After studying in Rome, he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands, but he also produced some secular works incl ...

. However the church still hosts precious works of art including paintings by

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

Pietro Gagliardi Pietro Gagliardi (9 August 1809 – 19 September 1890) was an Italian painter and architect, who decorated many churches and palaces in Rome and throughout Italy. Biography Gagliardi was born in Rome on 9 August 1809 to Francesco (of Campania ...

and

Filippo Paladini Filippo Paladino (1544–1614) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born near Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, ...

, as well as the titular statue of St Francis. 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 ...

References

1598 establishments in Europe Buildings and structures in Valletta Roman Catholic churches completed in 1607 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 1607 establishments in Malta 16th-century establishments in Malta Church buildings with domes {{Malta-church-stub

History

See also

References