St Julian's churches

 

The new St Julian's parish church, where I served from 1977 to 1981

As I've been describing this past week, my hometown village of St Julian's is celebrating the feast of St Julian, and I share with you today two photos of the two churches, the new one and the old one. The new church was built between 1962 and 1967 and was opened officially in the late 1960s with various additional decorations installed over the years, among them the organ, the stations of the cross, the confessionals and others. Pope John Paul II visited this church in 1990, and on that occasion the church was painted in unusual colors scheme devised by Architect Richard England. People were confused at first but they came to accept the colors pink, purple and sky blue in their sanctuary. 

The old St Julian's church, where I was baptized and served as altar-boy

The old church was built in the mid 1850s, the final version of other smaller churches built decades earlier on the same spot. The church was dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus, but was always known as the parish church of St Julian, after it became a parish in 1891, being taken from the expanding region of Birkirkara, from which at least half a dozen parishes have splintered from its region. This church was recently restored by a group of aficionados and Mass is celebrated daily, including many weddings on weekends, which many couples seem to like, because of its intimate quaintness, and historical ambience.  Both churches are seen here dressed up for the annual feast of St Julian, photos which I took in 2006.