The Baroque architecture of the basilica of Saint Helen in Birkirkara

Abstract

The main aim behind this B.A. dissertation is to present a comprehensive study on the Baroque architecture of the collegiate church of Saint Helen in Birkirkara built in the 18th Century. This study involves an in depth research on the Libri della Fabrica. These documents contain all the payments issued to the work force and all the material used during the whole process of construction. This information is very useful in establishing a chronological database of the construction process. One of the most important aims of this study is to establish and provide a more solid attribution regarding who was the architect involved in the building of the new church, through the study of the Libri della Fabrica. Although numerous scholars wrote about the church of Saint Helen, very few went into an in depth study of the whole construction process and this study aims to give a more in depth knowledge on the subject. The parochial sentiment is strongly felt in Birkirkara; particularly the devotion of Saint Helen and this can be seen in the baroque architecture of the new Collegiate church. The church has always played an important role in the lives of all the Maltese citizens and this devotion often appears in the way our parish churches are decorated. The church was one of the major patrons which provided the majority of the income to the Maltese artisan. The current Collegiate Basilica of Saint Helen was consecrated in 1782 and it serves as the main parish church in Birkirkara. However, this is not the original parish church. The Original Collegiate church was the church dedicated to Saint Mary, which was built by architect Tumas Dingli (1591-1666). Due to a variety of reasons this church had to be abandoned. Chapter 1 starts with an artistic architectural explanation of the Old Collegiate church of Saint Mary in Birkirkara and focuses on the reasons and implications that forced the parishioners to abandon the church. Chapter 1 also concentrates on the whole process of preparation prior commencement of building the new collegiate church. Chapter 2 is the main focus of this dissertation. This study will cover the evolution of the church from the beginning of construction in 1727 till the day of consecration in 1782 through an in depth insight from the archival documents. Chapter 2 also focuses on the debate regarding who is the authentic architect of the collegiate church. During the years, numerous scholars gave their own attributions of who was the architect of the collegiate church of Saint Helen. Recently, this attribution was given to Salvu Borg. The aim is to consolidate this attribution by interpreting the information available in the Libri della Fabrica. The Collegiate Basilica of Saint Helen is mainly influenced from the Mdina Cathedral designed by Lorenzo Gafa’. Apart from being similar to the Mdina Cathedral, other similar elements can be seen in other churches around the Island. Chapter 3 provides a good analysis of the designs of the church; this describes both the plan and the façade of Saint Helen’s, particularly with a comparative analysis with the Mdina Cathedral and with the other works of Salvu Borg. Chapter 4 is a rather exciting chapter as it concentrates on the biography of Salvu Borg and on his oeuvre. Little or almost nothing is published on this architect and this study aims at placing Salvu Borg on the map of 18th century baroque architecture in Malta. For this chapter an intensive study was carried out in the Stati del Anime, in the archives of the parish church of Siggiewi, which was the hometown of Salvu Borg. This was done in order to properly document his biography. I based my research almost entirely on primary sources, including the Libri della Fabrica in the archives of the church of Saint Helen, The Stati Animarum in the archives of the parish church of Siggiewi and from various Pastoral Visitation Reports from the Archives of the Mdina Cathedral. This study will offer a better insight on the attribution to Salvu Borg as the architect of the church of Saint Helen. It will also offer a better appreciation of our architectural heritage of the Basilica of Saint Helen, which is one of the finest baroque churches built in Malta during the 18th century.