Filial churches in Malta : Qormi : a case study

Abstract

Malta’s cultural and religious identity is expressed in the architectural heritage present around the Islands. This publication aims to contribute to the study on filial churches in Malta and open the way for further research about their history, architecture and works of art. Nonetheless, this study does not feature a detailed individual assessment of all the filial churches present on the Islands. The multitude of such exemplars stretches research boundaries to a limit which is beyond the purpose of this exercise. The book sheds light on nine filial churches existent in the Maltese town of Qormi. It provides a case study based on an assiduous research in both Church and State archives and also maps Malta’s socioreligious and political outline from the late fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. On the other hand, the account takes note of their present architectural and artistic conservation and the echoing religious cults and traditions.