- Address: Catherine of Italy, Victory, Valletta
The Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Valletta is a small building with a great history. Its other name is the church of St. Catherine of Italy. It was built in 1576 for the Italian langa (unit) of the Order of the Ioannites - the place was chosen on the basis of the close location of the barracks of the Italian knights. The service was conducted by Italian priests.
A bit of history
Initially, the church was small, but with the growth of the order, the number of Italian knights also increased, in addition, from the incident in 1693 the facade of the building was badly damaged, therefore, the church was completed at the same time as the renovation: the original premises were made a vestry, and a new part was added to it. The works under the guidance of the architect Romano Carapessia were completed in 1713.
Today the Church of St. Catherine of Italy is also the center of the Italian community in Malta . The church was repeatedly restored several times: in 1965-1966 and in 2000-2001, however, these works belonged exclusively to the building itself, and, at the same time, during the years of existence the church's dome and other elements of its interior were seriously damaged. The interior was restored between 2009 and 2011 under the direction of Giuseppe Mantella and under the auspices of Valletta Bank. During the restoration, two windows were found, which, for the previous restoration, were immured for some reason.
Appearance and interior
The building of the church has a rectangular shape with an octagonal extension, in which is the main altar. The facade and the main entrance are in the Baroque style; The elegance of the facade is attached to the columns and multi-level canopy of complex shape.
The main colors of the interior are white, light gray and gold. The walls are decorated with gold plaster moldings, many decorative elements (balconies, cornices, columns), wall paintings are used in decoration. The church looks very bright and smart.
The dome of the church is painted by the artist Mattia Preti; His painting also belongs to the painting "The Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria". This Italian artist spent the last part of his life in Malta (it is believed he was the knight of the Order of Malta), and the picture was donated to him by this Italian church. Preti also decorated the altar.
The dome consists of eight sectors, each of which contains a medallion depicting one of the scenes from the life of a saint.
How to get to the church?
You can get there by walking - along the street of the Republic and turning right after you pass the ruins of the Royal Opera House. In the same area of Valletta, on which the Church of Saint Catherine of Italy is located, opposite it is the Church of Our Lady of the Victory, the first city shrine, and quite near - the Castillo Palace, where today the Parliament of Malta sits.
We recommend that all tourists also visit the megalithic temples of Malta - one of the most mysterious structures in the world.
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