The Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary is a Baroque

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 ...

located in the village of

Għaxaq Għaxaq (, ) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 5,538 as of November 2021. The surrounding areas are predominantly used for agriculture. The village's name likely originates from the surname of a local noble fam ...

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

Records show that since 1511, a church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary stood where the current church stands today. When

became an independent parish in 1626, the church became the parish church. The church was modified and enlarged multiple times, notably in 1655. Nonetheless, a new

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church was built instead between 1723 and 1760. The new church was consecrated on May 2, 1784."Parish church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Għaxaq"
''

Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

'', Malta, 20 September 2011. Retrieved on 08 June 2017.

Interior

The church includes a number of artifacts, amongst these the titular statue of the Blessed Virgin, carved in wood by Mariano Gerada in 1808. Another statue which could be found in this church is that of Saint Joseph which was made by Fratelli Bertarelli of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the year 1932 and is also carved in wood. The paintings which decorate the church's ceiling were painted by

Emvin Cremona Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona (27 May 1919 – 29 January 1987) was a Maltese artist and stamp designer. He was as one of Malta's leading artists of the 20th century, and a pioneer of modernism in Malta. Cremona is known for designing most Ma ...

during the 1960s while other works of art date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries mostly painted by famous Maltese artists:

Gio Nicola Buhagiar Gio Nicola Buhagiar (, 17 May 1698 – 21 March 1752) was a Maltese painter. Biography Buhagiar was born in Żebbuġ on 17 May 1698. He was the son of the stone carver Pasquale Buhagiar, while his mother was Leonora Buttigieg, originally from ...

Francesco Zahra Francesco Vincenzo Zahra (, 15 December 1710 – 19 August 1773) was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, as well as in some pri ...

, Rokku Buhagiar and Gianni Vella among others.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Għaxaq 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Għaxaq Baroque church buildings in Malta Religious organizations established in 1625 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1760