Our Lady of Victory Church (Valletta)
The Roman Catholic Our Lady of Victory Church ( Maria-vom-Siege-Kirche ; Maltese Knisja tal-Vittorja , English Our Lady of Victory Church ) in Valletta , the capital of Malta , was the first building that was built by the Order of Malta after Valletta was founded was built. It also commemorates the Order's victory in the siege of Malta in 1565 . The building is listed in the National Inventory of Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands under number 35 and with Grade 1 it has the highest monument protection status in Malta.
The church is located on Triq il-Vittorja in Valletta. It is partially integrated into the fortress structure of St James Cavalier .
history
The church was built on the spot where the foundation stone was laid on March 28, 1566 for the Valletta fortress, newly built by the Maltese. Its construction dates back to 1567, it replaced a chapel that had previously been in the same place . It was built as a convent church of the Order of Malta, it was also the original burial place of Grand Master Jean de la Valette until the construction of St. John's Co-Cathedral . In 1617 it became the parish church of the Order for Valletta.
In the 18th century, the church was rebuilt under the grand master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful , the bust of Pope Innocent XI. attached to the facade and painted on the inside of the barrel vault . Another enlargement took place in 1752, when the bell tower and facade were built, and the sacristy and rectory were enlarged. These extensions are attributed to either Andrea Belli or Romano Carapecchia .
After the church fell into disrepair, extensive restoration of the structure and paintings began in 2000 under the direction of Dín l-Art Ħelwa with the support of sponsors from Malta's business community . The repair of the roof and the church tower was completed in 2004.
Furnishing
Originally the church had two altars, one dedicated to John the Baptist and the other to St. Paul . Two more altars were erected in the late 18th century.
The church contains some high quality paintings, including four by Francesco Zahra in the nave and the ceiling painting by Alessio Erardi , in which various episodes of the life of Mary are depicted. Other paintings are by Ermenegildo Grech .
literature
- Conrad Thake: Baroque Churches in Malta . Arcadia Publishers, Malta 1995.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta. Dín l-Art Ħelwa , 2019 (English).
- ↑ a b c d Knisja tal-Vittorja / Our Lady of Victory Church. (PDF; 1.4 MB) In: National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Sovrintendenza tal-Patrimonju Kulturale, March 30, 2012, accessed on December 2, 2019 .
Coordinates: 35 ° 53 ′ 45.6 ″ N , 14 ° 30 ′ 38.6 ″ E