St Francis of Assisi Church
Encyclopedia
St Francis of Assisi Church, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi
, in Valletta
(the capital city of Malta
), was built in 1598 and was completed by 1607. After a few decades, however, the church developed structural defects and in 1681 it was built anew through the "munificence" of Grand Master Gregorio Carafa
, whose coat of arms adorns the façade.
The church was enlarged in the 1920s following plans by Emanuel Borg, which also included a dome
. This implied the removal of some of the frescos by Giuseppe Calì
, which were replaced with others by Gianni Vella.
However the church still hosts precious works of art including paintings by Mattia Preti
, Pietro Gagliardi and Filippo Paladini, as well as the titular statue of St Francis.
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
(the capital city of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
), was built in 1598 and was completed by 1607. After a few decades, however, the church developed structural defects and in 1681 it was built anew through the "munificence" of Grand Master Gregorio Carafa
Gregorio Carafa
Fra' Gregorio Carafa was the 62th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 1680 to 1690. Italian by birth, he was elected Grand Master after the death of Nicolas Cotoner. He is buried in the Italian Chapel in the Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta, Malta.-External links:*...
, whose coat of arms adorns the façade.
The church was enlarged in the 1920s following plans by Emanuel Borg, which also included a dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
. This implied the removal of some of the frescos by Giuseppe Calì
Giuseppe Calì
Giuseppe Calì was a Maltese painter, born in Valletta of Neapolitan parents and educated at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Naples under Giuseppe Mancinelli...
, which were replaced with others by Gianni Vella.
However the church still hosts precious works of art including paintings by Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta.- Biography :Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was sometimes called Il Cavalier Calabrese...
, Pietro Gagliardi and Filippo Paladini, as well as the titular statue of St Francis.