A study of Saint Augustine's church and convent in Valletta

Abstract

The choice of the convent and church of St. Augustine in Valletta as being the subject of this works originate from my voluntary work within the parish during the last few years. Having been permitted access to various locations within the church and convent which were previously unknown to me, I had become fascinated by this hidden architectural beauty. Only two sections remain inaccessible due to being rented to third parties. Somehow I was inspired that other to what can be admired within the present church structure, there are also remains of the previous two churches that are hardly known to the outside world, which together offer a wealth of studies. My two initial sources of reference were the books in Maltese by P. Gulju Bonnici OSA and P. Mark Bonnici OSA, which although closely highlight the same historical data, do not cover the architectural elements but deal more with the religious aspects. Due to the demolition of the first church by Gerolomo Cassar in the mid-17th century, renowned modern architects tend to only give a brief mention of any of the three churches in their books, if at all. I am confident that I can fill much of this void as I have had ample access to first hand material, especially the remains of the first church attributed to Cassar. I sincerely hope that future studies and programs on Valletta will benefit from this work.