The parish church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Zejtun : an architectural appraisal

Abstract

The parish churches often find themselves to be the core subjects of the literature concerned with the art historical appreciation of the Maltese Islands. Indeed, so much has been published in the field of ecclesiastical art and architecture, that I was driven into forming certain preconceived ideas with regards to the topic of this dissertation. However, although a substantial number of secondary sources do make reference to the parish church of St. Catherine in Żejtun, they ultimately only serve as a point of departure. The detail in which the architectural process and analysis of the Żejtun parish church is here discussed, perhaps, is fresher and more comprehensive to what has already been published on the topic. The contextual history and detailed chronological account of the old and new parish churches of Żejtun are the subjects of the first and second chapters respectively. The first chapter serves to set the background picture to the main focus of the dissertation. Thus, the first chapter primarily deals with the geographical, sociological, and religious factors that eventually necessitated the construction of a new and larger parish church. An architectural overview of the old parish church of ?ejtun is, furthermore, included. The second chapter ties in with the first in its reference to the economic factor as a fundamental aspect leading to the construction of the new parish church. Essentially, it chronologically outlines the history of the building of the new parish church through a detailed study of the Libri della Fabrica of the church. This is, therefore, the main focus and fulcrum of the dissertation, enabling the revision of its architectural history and construction process. Naturally, both the aesthetic qualities of the church, as well as the various contributions and roles of the major workers involved, including that of the well-known architect, Lorenzo Gafà, could also, be newly revisited. The former is, incidentally, the subject of the third chapter, and deals not only with the individual architectural characteristics of the church, but places the Żejtun parish church within a wider context through numerous stylistic comparisons with other Maltese parish churches, some of which have previously not been considered. The fourth chapter is of particular interest since it revolves around a subject on which little has been published ? the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament in Żejtun ? especially with regards to who was mostly responsible for its design. This chapter, therefore, aims at exposing the main individuals responsible behind the building through both an economic and architectural perspective. Within the general scenario, it serves as an addition to the architectural database available on Confraternal oratories in Malta and Gozo, and will thus, hopefully, be of benefit to any future studies carried out on the subject. The fifth and final chapter is of particular interest, since it brings together several individuals who played a significant role within the church of St. Catherine in Żejtun. It not only seeks to highlight their contributions, some of which are here revealed for the first time, but also, to survey their position within the workforce. Again, extensive reference was made to the Libri della Fabrica, thus, confirming the importance of archival material as a main research tool for the materialization of this dissertation. The ability to review the social aspect through this study is of primary importance to me. Żejtun is a village I greatly identify with and, thus, it brings me much joy to be able to immortalize the names of those whose efforts were invested in the construction of the parish church of Żejtun.