The church of All Souls (Tal-Erwieħ), Valletta : history, architecture and works of art

Abstract

The main aim behind this B.A. dissertation is to present a comprehensive study of the Church of All Souls (Tal-Erwieħ) in Valletta. The Church had always played a dominant role in the life of the Maltese artisan, since it was the major patron, and sought to decorate its interiors with beautiful paintings, sculpture and Objets d'art. The Church of San Nicola di Bari was established in Valletta in 1569, immediately after the construction of the New City of Valletta. S. Nicola was originally a Greek Catholic Church, and it was under the jurisdiction of the Papas. However as time went by, the Church of S. Nicola was ceded to the Confraternity known as La Sodalita delle Anime Purganti. In Maltese it was mainly known as 'Tal-Erwieħ'. Today the church is known both as the Church of S. Nicola as well as the Church of All Souls in Purgatory. The main purpose is to evaluate an artistic understanding of various works of art and put them in their historical context. A holistic appreciation of all works has never been attempted before, and documentation is sadly lacking. Chapter 1 places the Church of All Souls (Tal-Erwieħ) in its Maltese historical background, and focuses on the arrival in Malta in 1530, of the Knights of St John from Rhodes, accompanied by the Rhodiot Greek Community. Chapter 2 tackles the architectural changes of the Church throughout the centuries. This study will cover the evolution of the church from its construction till the present day. In Chapter 3 the focal point will be a critical analysis of the paintings inside the church, including, not only the church per se, but also works of art in the Sacristy and the Aula Sodalitatis. Due to the large number of existing paintings in this church, only major and important works are studied in detail, while others that are of little art historical value are only hinted at. The sculptural works of art as well as the Objets d'art will be tackled in Chapter 4. Since the middle of the seventeenth century the use of sculpture, especially in the interior decoration of churches, became much more popular. I based my research almost entirely on primary sources, including; Archives from the Church of All Souls (Tal-Erwieh), Archives from the National Library in Valletta, Notary Archives as well as various Pastoral Visitation Reports. Research has been challenging, since it was very extensive due to the nature of the study. This research will offer a better understanding and appreciation of our historical, architectural and artistic heritage of the church of S. Nicola in Malta. The state of preservation of certain works and the inappropriate location of others, hindered technical analysis. However, I endeavoured to take a selection of the most important works of art to put together a coherent study.