Church of St Barbara, Valletta

Church of St Barbara
Knisja ta' Santa Barbara

View of the Church of Santa Barbara
Church of St Barbara
35°53′49.2″N 14°30′38.7″E / 35.897000°N 14.510750°E / 35.897000; 14.510750
Location Valletta
Country Malta
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 1570
Dedication Saint Barbara
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Church
Architectural type Church
Style Baroque
Specifications
Number of domes 1
Administration
Archdiocese Malta
Clergy
Rector Charles Carabott

The Church of St Barbara is a Roman Catholic church situated in Valletta, Malta. The church was built to service the spiritual needs of the knights of Provence.

History

The original church was built in 1573 for the Provence Langue of the Order, it was the church of the bombardiers. It was restored in 1601 and completely rebuilt in 1739. The exterior of the new Church of St Barbara was designed by the Italian architect Romano Carapecchia. The interior was designed by the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonici as Carapecchia died before the church was completed.[1]

The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[2]

Architecture

Interior of the church

The church was built in the baroque style. In the centre of the façade, just above the door, one can see a large gilded statue of the Immaculate Conception. It was erected in 1904 to commemorate the jubilee of the Immaculate Conception.[3] Internally, the church is centrally planned, having an oval dome typical of the baroque period and which is a very rare feature in local churches.

Present day

Today the church serves as the parish church for the English, French and German speaking communities. It is the only church in Malta that has services celebrated in the German and French language respectively. Also a mass in Tagalog is celebrated every Sunday.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Church of St Barbara". Retrieved on 04 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Church of St. Barbara" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "St.Barbara". Retrieved on 04 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Church dedicated to St Barbara", Archdiocese of Malta. Retrieved on 04 November 2014.
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