Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Maltese sacred architecture

One of the sculpted arches above one of the side altars

On my recent visit to Malta, I had the opportunity to visit many churches and take hundreds of photos of paintings, statues, as well as a sample of the typical Baroque architecture that dominates most churches. One particular church is St Mary's parish church in Birkirkara. It used to be the old parish church, until the bigger one of St Helena was built. Recently it was given the status of a parish once again, while over the past 40 years, much reconstruction was done inside the church, as you can see from these photos. 
A general view of the inside of the church

All architecture is made from locally-hewn limestone. The church is missing a dome, which may be re-built in the future years. Much of the work was done by local stone masons, led by Abraham Schembri. It is certainly one of the hidden gems of Maltese sacred architecture.
Another section of the apse above one of the side altars

The ornate facade of the same St Mary church in Birkirkara

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