Basilica of the Nativity of Mary (Senglea)
The Basilica of the Nativity of Mary ( English Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady , maltese Ta 'Marija Bambina ) is a church in the style of the Renaissance in the Maltese port city of Senglea on the island of Malta and is part of the Archdiocese of Malta .
It was on November 11, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. raised to the basilica .
Building history
The victory of the Christians over the besiegers during the first great siege on the feast of the birth of Mary in 1565 is attributed to the Blessed Virgin, so the church of the birth of Mary is consecrated and to be understood as a monument to victory. The construction of the church was completed in 1580. Presumably it was built under Vittorio Cassar, but that is not certain. Just one year after completion, the church was elevated to a parish church with its own parish in 1581. The church consecration took place on October 20, 1743. On May 21, 1786, the church of Pope Pius VI. raised to the collegiate church .
The first air raid on Senglea took place on June 11, 1940, and the church was also damaged. Another attack on January 16, 1941 destroyed some altars, parts of the aisles and the sacrament oratory. Just three days later, another bomb fell in the church and demolished the nave, whereupon the statue of Mary and the Christ the Savior were relocated to Birkirkara . The church was finally destroyed in April 1942 when a bomb detonated on the gallery. All pillars, the sacrament chapel, the oratory and the apse were destroyed. Shortly afterwards, the church was rebuilt from 1946 under Giuseppe Caruana and Giuseppe Sammut, but the facade collapsed during the reconstruction work, so that it too had to be rebuilt. Vincenzo Bonello designed the reconstruction. On August 24, 1956, the church was consecrated again by Archbishop Michele Gonzi , with thousands of Maltese arriving from all over the country in attendance. One day after the rededication, the statue of the Virgin Mary from Birkirkara was able to return to the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary.
Equipment (selection)
The main attraction of the basilica, a wooden statue of Mary called Il-Bambina, was carved in 1618, painted and gilded in 1631. The creator of this statue is unknown. After the coronation of the Virgin Mary statue in 1921, the church became a sanctuary. It is the only crowned statue in Malta. The crown contains diamonds and other precious stones. Around the statue there are four silver angels that were created in 1934. In 1956 another marble statue of the Virgin, consecrated in 1956, was erected. All marble work comes from the Italian Tuscany , the stucco work by Vincenzo Apap from Malta. The four coats of arms of Pope Benedict XV are on the ceiling . , Archbishop Mauro Caruana, Senglea Monastery and Grand Master La Sengle. The pillars show 16 saints who are related to Mary: four evangelists, four popes, four doctors and four founders of Christian orders. The church also houses seven bells.
Web links
- Basilica on the sides of the Archdiocese of Malta
- Basilica on Senglea.net ( Memento from October 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 35 ° 53 '8.6 " N , 14 ° 31' 4.5" E