St Nicholas' Chapel, Għargħur

The Chapel of St Nicholas is a small Roman Catholic 17th century church located in Għargħur, Malta.

Chapel of St Nicholas
Kappella ta' San Nikola
Chapel of St Nicholas
35°55′34.7″N 14°27′08.7″E
LocationGħargħur
CountryMalta
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
Founded15th Century
DedicationSaint Nicholas
Architecture
Completed1680
Administration
ArchdioceseMalta
Clergy
ArchbishopCharles Scicluna

Origins
Interior of the church

The chapel was originally built in the 15th century. In 1575, when inquisitor Pietro Dusina visited Mata he found that the chapel was in a very bad state, with its roof collapsed.[1] He ordered that the chapel be closed and its stone be used in the building of the Parish church of Naxxar. However, it seems that the church was rebuilt within a short time since Bishop Baldassare Cagliares reports that during his 1615 visit, the chapel was in a very good state. The chapel is mentioned once more when Bishop Pietro Francesco Pontremoli, who was vicar general of the diocese, visited the chapel in 1634. He noted that there was a painting depicting St Nicholas and that the church had the privilege of ecclesiastical immunity.[2]

Nonetheless, even though past bishops describe that the chapel was in a good state, when Bishop Miguel Jerónimo de Molina visited the chapel in 1680, he found that the chapel was rebuilt in that same year. In 1744 Archbishop Paul Alphéran de Bussan mentions that the feast in honour of St Nicholas was celebrated every December 6 in the chapel with sung vespers and a mass.

By time the church was used as a storage space for statues used during Holy Week however in 2005 the chapel was restored and opened for religious purposes. [3]

Interior

The chapel has one altar and a painting depicting Saint Nicholas dating from the middle of the 17th century and attributed to Gaspare Formica.

References
  1. "Knisja ta' San Nikola-Church of St. Nicholas", St Nicholas Centre. Retrieved on 21 February 2017.
  2. Busuttil, R. "Il-knisja ta’ San Nikola ~ Ħal Għargħur ~", Kappelli Maltin, Malta. Retrieved on 21 February 2017.
  3. "Gharghur", Malta-Canada. Retrieved on 21 February 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.