The private chapels of the stately and patrician houses of Malta : a representative sample (1600-1800)

Abstract

This study explores a cross-section of chapels in Maltese stately houses or in the country villas of patrician families of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These two centuries were among the most prosperous and artistically stimulating in Maltese History. Valletta, Mdina and Birgu will not be discussed in this dissertation as they will be looked into in future research. Gozo may also form an essential part of this future research. A number of studies regarding chapels in houses have been produced by art and architectural historians; however, this is the first attempt to study them in a systematic and detailed manner. Quentin Hughes and Leonard Mahoney, to mention just two historians, have given detailed architectural analyses of the Maltese house (be it public or private), but they avoid dealing specifically with the chapel itself. Their writings remained always limited to a general overview. The study considers each chapel individually; however, parallels with other private chapels as well as with independently built churches will be pointed out. The central themes are mainly the architectural aspects, but paintings and other objets d'art are also taken into consideration. An integral part of this study are the plans which in most instances have never been published before. Finally the relation of the chapel with the house is considered in some detail particularly the way in which this may have influenced its liturgical functioning. Also the manner in which the chapel is related with its surroundings, that is the urban layout, will be suggested. This study is divided into four chapters. The Introduction focuses on the history and meaning of these private chapels. The importance of the nobility in society will also be brought out. The second and third chapters will consider in detail the chapels of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries respectively. Finally, the fourth chapter will trace the evolution that these private chapels went through throughout the years; whether there was a development or a continuous dominating style in architectural terms. A number of obstacles have been encountered. The foremost handicap was access to a number of private chapels. As a result a few notable buildings have been left out. Another impediment concerned primary sources, in particular contracts belonging to the family household proper, which I was not permitted to analyse.