The Dominican community of Valletta is this year marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St Dominic and the 450th anniversary of the founding of the first
Noel Muscat, OFM, details how the Franciscan Friars Minor received a plot of land in Valletta on May 18, 1571 on which they built the Santa Maria di Gesù church, better known as Ta’ Ġieżu
The crucifix during restoration works led by Fr Charles Vella in 2019.
On May 18, 1571, the Franciscan Friars Minor, at the time known as the Friars Minor of the Regular Observance, received a plot of land from Grand Master Pietro Del Monte close to Porta del Monte (today’s Victoria Gate), in Valletta, on which they were to build their second church and friary in Malta after the church and friary of Santa Maria di Gesù, in Rabat, where they settled in 1500 after lengthy preparations going back to 1482.
Malta: A Mediterranean Destination Filled with Authenticity and Curated Exclusive Experiences eturbonews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eturbonews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A postcard from Valletta Post author
I arrived in Malta in early December without a plan. The island-nation between Sicily and Tunisia would be a landing spot for a few days while my husband, a director, scouted the large water tanks that Malta is known for in the film industry. As a travel writer, I was lucky to join the ride as a companion; given the pandemic, I was lucky to be traveling at all.
The first morning brought balmy, spring-like sunshine and I itched to get outside while it lasted. Having received a negative test result (at the time, arrivals were required to take a test in order to reduce quarantine measures), I did some online research and historic Valletta churches caught my attention. It turns out that Malta is one of Europe’s most Catholic countries with one of the highest density of churches in the world (359 to be exact). I’m more spiritual than religious but historic houses of worship have always enticed me while travelling, and I’ve visited chur