Church of St James the Greater | |
---|---|
Knisja ta' San Ġakbu | |
36°2′41.285″N14°14′22.719″E / 36.04480139°N 14.23964417°E | |
Location | Victoria, Gozo, Malta |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Status | Church |
Founded | 18th century |
Dedication | Saint James the Greater |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Specifications | |
Number of spires | 1 |
Administration | |
Province | Malta |
Diocese | Gozo |
Clergy | |
Rector | George Borg |
The Church of St James is a Roman Catholic church building in Victoria, Gozo, Malta, situated in Independence Square, the centre of the town.
The present church dates from the 20th century but part of the church, particularly the sanctuary, dates to the 18th century. The original building was used as a parochial church for the eastern part of the island of Gozo during the night hours at a time when the only parishes on the island were those of St George and the Collegiate of the Assumption, the present cathedral. Two other chapels were adjoined to the original church, one dedicated to the Holy Cross and the other to St Mark. This is recorded in inquisitor Pietro Dusina's 1575 report.
Following the 1551 corsair raid on Gozo, led by Sinam Baxa, the church suffered extensive damage and had to be rebuilt. It was deconsecrated in 1657 by Bishop Balaguer and a new church was built in its place by order of Grand Master Ramon Despuig. [1] It was finished in 1740. The church was used for the blessing of the crops on the feast of St Mark. This custom started in 1847 and ended in 1968. The church was consecrated on January 18, 1942. It was partly demolished in 1979 because of damage to the structure, [2] and had to be rebuilt.
The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. [3]
The altarpiece, depicting St James, dates back to 1742. There are two side altars, one dedicated to St Barbara and the other to St Teresa of Avila and St Rose of Lima. The paintings are said to have been painted by Francesco Zahra. The church is most famous for the statue of Our Lady of Sorrow which is taken out of the church on the Friday before Good Friday and taken into procession around the streets of Victoria. The statue was brought from Munich in 1879.
Victoria, also known among the native Maltese as Rabat or by its title Città Victoria, is an administrative unit of Malta, and the main town on Gozo. Victoria has a total population of 6,901, and is the most populous settlement in Gozo.
The Citadel, also known as the Castello, is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo, Malta. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas.
St Francis of Assisi Church, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, in Valletta, was built in 1598 and was completed by 1607.
St Augustine Church is one of the churches built during the creation of the new city of Valletta, Malta.
The Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, also known as simply the Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, is a Roman Catholic parish church in Valletta, Malta. It is one of Valletta's oldest churches.
St. George's Basilica or the Basilica and Collegiate Parish Church of Saint George, also simply known as San Ġorġ in Maltese, is a historic Baroque church situated in the middle of Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, and is surrounded by a maze of old narrow streets and alleys. The church had been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages. Today's basilica was built between 1672 and 1678.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul, commonly known as St Paul's Cathedral or the Mdina Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Mdina, Malta, dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle. The cathedral was founded in the 12th century, and according to tradition it stands on the site of where Roman governor Publius met St. Paul following his shipwreck on Malta. The original cathedral was severely damaged in the 1693 Sicily earthquake, so it was dismantled and rebuilt in the Baroque style to a design of the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà between 1696 and 1705. The cathedral is regarded as Gafà's masterpiece.
The Auberge d'Italie was an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built in the sixteenth century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy.
The Church of St Francis is a Roman Catholic church building in Victoria, Gozo, Malta, situated in St Francis Square. Adjacent to the church is the convent of the Conventual Franciscans.
The Church of St Augustine is a Roman Catholic church building in Victoria, Gozo, Malta, situated in St Augustine's Square. The church is part of the Augustinian monastery situated on its left side.
The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, more commonly known in Maltese as Ta' Savina, is a church situated in the heart of Victoria, in the island of Gozo, part of the Maltese archipelago.
The Church of Our Lady of Pompei is a Roman Catholic, Dominican church in Victoria, Gozo, Malta.
The Church of St Lucy is a small Roman Catholic church situated in Valletta, Malta. The church was built in 1570 and features a titular painting above the high altar and the corpse of St Lucian, the martyr.
The Parish church of St Margaret is a Roman Catholic church that serves the village of Sannat in Gozo, Malta
The Basilica of St Paul is a Roman Catholic Parish church located in Rabat, Malta.
The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, monuments and other buildings. The NICPMI is under the responsibility of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH), which was founded in 2002 to replace the Antiquities Act. The NICPMI was established on 16 December 2011.
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Cittadella of Victoria in Gozo, Malta. The cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, and has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo since the formation of the diocese in 1864.
The Parish Church and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces is a Roman Catholic parish church in Żabbar, Malta, dedicated to Our Lady of Graces. The church was originally built between 1641 and 1696 to designs of the Renaissance architect Tommaso Dingli. Its façade, an outstanding example of Maltese Baroque architecture, was built in 1738 to designs of Giovanni Bonavia. The dome was rebuilt in the early 19th century after it had been damaged during the French blockade of 1798–1800, and it was rebuilt again in the first half of the 20th century to designs of Giuseppe Pace.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic parish church in Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The present building was built between 1690 and 1726 on the site of an earlier church, and it was enlarged between 1938 and 1942. The church's interior was extensively decorated using locally-sourced travertine from cave deposits in the late 20th century.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic parish church in Dingli, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was constructed in various stages between 1903 and 1973 on the site of a previous church which had been built between 1678 and 1680.