The Franciscan Church of St Mary of Jesus (Convent of the Minori Osservanti) is a church in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, which is dedicated to St Mary of Jesus and is cared for by the religious order of

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

. It came to be popularly known by the Maltese as ''Ta' Ġieżu''. ''Ta' Ġieżu'' is a local corruption of ''Ta' Ġesù'' (of Jesus).

History

In 1571 the Friars Minor were granted a piece of land in

on which to build a church. Work began shortly afterwards, following the design of

Girolamo Cassar Girolamo Cassar ( mt, Ġlormu Cassar, 1520 – 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1569. He was involved in the construction of Valletta, ...

. The façade was replaced in 1680 by Mederico Blondel. Numerous grandmasters contributed lavishly towards the embellishment of the church which now hosts various works of art. The church is the location of the Carnival tragedy of 1823, when many boys were crushed to death in a corridor of the building while waiting to receive bread.

Description

Interior of the church of St Mary of Jesus Valletta

The main attraction is undoubtedly the impressive Miraculous

Crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

(in Maltese: Il-Kurċifiss Mirakuluż), by the Sicilian friar Innocenzo da Petralia Sottana around 1630. It immediately attracted the attention of the people. Accompanying the crucifix is a painting of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

by Stefano Erardi. The titular painting is the work of the Sicilian artist Antonio Catalano. It is dated 1600 and depicts the Visitation of Our Lady to St Elizabeth. The first victim of the 1813–14 plague epidemic in Malta, a young girl, was buried inside the church, at the lack of knowledge by everyone of the circumstances of her death. The church hosts the grave of Blessed Nazju Falzon (1813–1865), a diocesan cleric greatly venerated by the Maltese, who taught Catholic catechism to British sailors stationed in Malta. The church building is listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 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, mo ...

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Catholicism, History, Malta 1584 establishments in Europe Buildings and structures in Valletta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 16th-century establishments in Malta Franciscan churches in Malta

History

Description

See also

References

External links