https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/3309 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 04:54:30 GMT 2026-04-05T04:54:30Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9538 Title: Burials and sepulchral ledger stones in the church of Saint Paul shipwrecked, Valletta Abstract: The purpose of this essay is mainly to bring to light the importance of the parish church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked in Valletta focusing especially on the ledger stones. These practically cover the nave from the presbytery to the west end of the church. Presently these ledger stones are in a state of neglect both physically and intellectually. In this dissertation the ledgers will be described and placed in an art historical context. The different marble types used in the manufacture of these ledgers and their provenance shall be identified. Some of the personages buried under these marble tomb stones will be discussed. The present state of preservation of each ledger will be documented. The church, together with the two sacristies and the oratory were surveyed using a steel measuring tape and a hand held disto-meter. The relevant drawings virtually draughted on computer using appropriate software, namely AUTOCAD 2008. The surrounding pavement on Saint Paul’s Street and the stairs along Saint Lucy Street were included in the survey. The inscriptions on the tomb stones were copied scrupulously, meaning that spelling and line distribution were strictly respected. After this, abbreviations were expanded and the added characters closed in brackets ( ), while characters which should be omitted are enclosed in square brackets [ ]. Unfortunately the inscriptions on two of the ledgers are totally worn out (R6C3, R8C5), while another has some characters missing (R8C2). Most of the chiselled out characters are sans serif, while a few are serif. Most of the dating and numbers make use of Roman numerals while in some cases Arabic numerals are used. Appendix A will also be a record of the writings still legible today. As regards the reference to the layout, the logical system used previously by Rev. Can Fr. Vincenz Azzopardi and later by Rev Fr Karm Zammit, (c 1995) in their transcripts was retained. The latter version was referred to when some characters were dubious due to their state of preservation. With the exception of R10C1, all the ledgers have a vertical orientation. The main corpus is laid out on eight rows and five columns. These are set in what shall be referred to as the main grid, which consists of grey Bardiglio bands of marble between the slabs both horizontaly and verticaly. At each intersection there is a Giallo Siena tozzetto. This is a sacrificial feature which might be broken (and later replaced) in the process to lift open the slabs. The 41st ledger is in the chapel of the sacrament and an oblong memorial is found in the chapel of Charity. Under the niche where the titular statue of Saint Paul is kept there is a 43rd which is partially hidden by the timber structure. In the corridor leading from the sacristy to the choir one finds another seven tombstones cemented to the walls. Their inscriptions are also included with the main corpus although due to the restricted space they could not be photographed properly. These add up to 50 tomb stones. The tomb stones on the floor are laid with their top edge closer to the relevant altar. Description: B.A.(HONS)HIST.OF ART Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9538 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4801 Title: The impact of art historical and critical issues in Malta in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Case studies of painting, sculpture and architecture Abstract: The main aim of this study is to provide analysis on select art historical and critical issues in Malta in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and to assess their impact on works of art and monuments. This analysis is then discussed in relation to case studies of interventions on painting, sculpture and architectural examples on the Maltese Islands. The issues relating to art history and art criticism are identified in the various case studies presented, where a particular artistic ideology determined the way in which a work of art or monument was to be perceived. Other case studies show that the decisions taken to subjecting works of art to particular interventions did not always stem from formal art historical and critical issues, but were simply based on the need to repair their condition and appearance. This study refers to the term “interventions” which as will be shown, include restoration attempts, remodelling or renovation exercises, that could span from minimal alterations to major projects. Since the terminology involved, such as the terms “restoration”, “conservation” or “preservation” carry different connotations even in the present day, the term “intervention” has been opted for as it defines these actions in more general terms. The study provides the art historical context of the period, and includes various discussions on writings of art history and criticism as presented by leading figures within the art historical field. Description: M.A.HIST.OF ART Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4801 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4794 Title: A study of the decorative designs on the suits of armour of the hospitaller knights (1550-1798) in the Valletta palace armoury Abstract: The Palace Armoury Museum at the Grand Master’s Magistral Palace in Valletta, may well be regarded as one of the most important museums of its kind in Europe. One factor that contributes to its historical importance is the fact that the arms and Armours displayed in the present collection have been in the same building, though not in the same precise location, for almost four hundred years. Even more importantly, is that the Armeria was the last of a serious of military store houses, or martial magazines, set up by the Hospitaller Knights of St. John of Malta, and, consequently, the last arsenal established by the last crusading military order. The Palace Armoury encapsulates not only the Hospitallers’ military activities throughout their history, but, also, the Order’s capacity for military adaptations and innovations. This makes the Palace Armoury even more distinctive, especially when compared to other well-known similar arsenals. In 1903, the collection was catalogued and published by one of the most renowned Armour connoisseurs, and Art historians of the time, Sir Guy Francis Laking (1875-1919). Laking categorised many of the Armours and attributed some of the harnesses to particular members of the Order. His main contribution to the study of Armour in Malta is the pictures of various Armours, which helps in their identification, and in matching certain pieces. Laking managed to match a considerable number of loose components and still though these were not always correct, his descriptions, and categorical numbering, are valuable. In this sense, the studies Laking carried out in Malta and in England constitute a point of reference to any study of Armours of the Knights of St. John. Description: M.A.HIST.OF ART Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4794 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/3825 Title: A catalogue of works of art at St George's basilica, Gozo Abstract: For centuries Rabat (Victoria) was practically the only populated area in Gozo and consequently the appellatives „Rabat‟ and „Gozo‟ were synonymous. Throughout this time St George‟s church was in the core of the Borgo, where the majority of the Gozitan population resided. It is recorded to have been functioning as a parish prior to 1450. Being outside the protective walls of the medieval Castello, St George‟s church suffered the brunt of many razzias that the marauding Turkish corsairs unremittingly inflicted on Gozo. These frequent incursions many times battered the architectural framework, reducing the church of St George to a derelict building, barely capable of serving the religious needs of the community. All through these tribulations, the Gozo inhabitants had St George‟s church at their heart. The parish was never abandoned by its parishioners as they saw in it not only their religious well-being but also their identity. This can be gauged from the fact that when Bishop Dusina visited the church in 1575 he found it properly functioning. Though the church did not contain the Eucharist or the sacraments, the parish priest Don Lorenzo de Apapis still administered the sacraments to his parishioners. Mgr Dusina understood the important role that the church of St George played and he refrained from profanating it as he did in the case of the other two parishes of Savina and St James, both in Victoria. The fortunes of St George‟s church turned for the better on August 7th 1672 when the foundation stone of the present church was laid. The new church, in the form of a Latin cross, was consecrated by Bishop Paolo Alpheran de Bussan on 21st September, 1755. Description: B.A.(HONS)HIST.OF ART Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/3825 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z