Carmelite Church

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Maltese:Bażilika Santwarju tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu) is a Roman Catholic church in the capital Valletta on the island of Malta. It is one of the most famous churches and main tourist attractions of Valletta, and it forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site which includes the entire city.

Original Church

The first church was dedicated to the Annunciation. It was built around 1570 on the designs of Girolamo Cassar. In the 17th century, it was given to the Carmelites and thus received its present patronage to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The façade was redesigned in 1852 by Giuseppe Bonavia. On May 14, 1895, Pope Leo XIII elevated the church to the rank of Minor Basilica. The church was seriously damaged during the Second World War and had to be rebuilt.

Present Basilica

The new church was built from 1958 to 1981. It was consecrated in 1981. The 42 meter high oval dome dominates both the city skyline and Marsamxett Harbour. It is higher than the steeple of the immediately adjacent Anglican Cathedral in Valletta. The main attraction in the interior is a painting of Our Lady of Mount Carmel dating from the early 17th century. The interior has been sculpted by Joseph Damato over 19 years. Striking are the columns of red marble.

The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Valletta" and modified on 23 July 2019 under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.