The parish church of Zurrieq and its immediate environs

Abstract

The main aim of this dissertation is to present a comprehensive study of the Architecture of the parish church of Zurrieq and its immediate environs. Chapter one gives an overview of early medieval churches around Malta and their simple structures. The chapter imparts a comprehensive understanding of the old parish church of Zurrieq and how the people’s lives revolved around it. In this section there is a discussion of the reasons why the parish church was eventually pulled down to make way for a more monumental church. The second chapter is about the new church of Zurrieq and its alterations and additions over the years. This chapter analyses the architectural additions and alterations that took place in chronological order. In this way one can clearly observe how the church has changed over time. Chapter three is the aesthetic appreciation of the architecture of the church. Observing each alteration with what is happening on a national scale in other villages and comparing it with what may have been the architect’s influences. Chapter four is about the immediate environs and the way they change over time, as society changes. It presents an observation from early vernacular buildings to present day modern buildings. It also re-evaluates the current situation of the old buildings of Zurrieq with respect to the Foster and White report in 1971.