St James's Church, Żurrieq

Church of St James
Il-Kappella ta' San Ġakbu il-Kbir
Church of St James
35°49′46.6″N 14°28′25.8″E / 35.829611°N 14.473833°E
Location	Żurrieq
Country	Malta
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Dedication	St James the Greater
Architecture
Status	Active
Functional status	Church
Administration
Parish	Żurrieq
Archdiocese	Malta
Clergy
Archbishop	Charles Scicluna

The Church of St James is a Baroque Roman Catholic church licated in the village of Żurrieq in Malta.

History

This church is first recorded in the report dating from 1575 during the Apostolic visit of Bishop Pietro Dusina. Beside the original church there was another church dedicated to St John the Baptist. Both churches were demolished in the early 18th century to make way for a new and bigger church dedicated to St James. Work commenced in 1725 and was completed by June 24, 1731. ^[1][2]

Interior of the church

Interior

The chapel contains a number of works of art amongst them the titular picture depicting the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus appearing to St James the Greater attributed to Maltese painter Francesco Zahra. On top of the painting is the date 1731, the date the church was consecrated. Furthermore, a number of sculptures and designs, attributed to Paolo Zahra, adorn the area around the painting. There are a total of three altars, one main and two side altars. One of the side altars is dedicated to the Annunciation with the painting depicting the same dedication and attributed to Francesco Zahra. The other side altar is dedicated to Our Lay of Light. ^[3]

References

1. "Churches", Zurrieq Local Council. Retrieved on 19 November 2016.
2. "Church of St James", Zurrieq Parish Church. Retrieved on 19 November 2016.
3. Terribile, T. "Il-knisja ta’ San Ġakbu ~ Żurrieq ~", Kappelli Maltn. Retrieved on 19 November 2016