The Parish Church of St Leonard 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 ...

serving the village of

Kirkop Kirkop () is a village in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta. Located near the Malta International Airport, it has been inhabited since pre-history. The parish church is dedicated to Saint Leonard. The football team of the village ...

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 ...

History

The church was built during the start of the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

. It became a parish church in 1592. Between 1706 and 1779 the church was enlarged to accommodate the growing population of the village. The church was dedicated and consecrated by the Bishop of Malta

Vincenzo Labini Vincenzo Labini (28 April 1735 – 30 April 1807) was an Italian archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1780 till 1807. Biography Labini was born in Bitonto, Italy on April 28, 1735. In 1758 he was ordained priest of the Sovereign Milita ...

on 10 November 1782. The church's two bell towers were built in 1800. The interior of the church was refurbished in 1878 by Reverend J. Barbara."Hal Kirkop"
''Church in Malta'', Malta, 29 September 2011. Retrieved on 07 February 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Leonard's Church, Kirkop 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Kirkop Baroque church buildings in Malta Church buildings with domes National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Religious organizations established in the 1590s