Basilica of the Nativity of Mary, Senglea

The Basilica of the Nativity of Mary or Basilica of Our Lady of Victories is a Roman Catholic parish church located at Senglea, Malta. It is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

For other uses of "Our Lady of Victories", see Our Lady of Victory (disambiguation).

Basilica of the Nativity of Mary
The Basilica and Collegiate Parish Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Bażilika u Kolleġġjata tal-Madonna tal-Vitorja
The Basilica
Basilica of the Nativity of Mary
35°53′08″N 14°31′05″E
LocationSenglea
CountryMalta
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusActive
Founded1580
Consecrated15 October 1743
Architecture
Functional statusParish Church
Architect(s)Vittorio Cassar
Architectural typeChurch
StyleBaroque
Specifications
Bellsseven
Administration
ParishSenglea
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Malta
Clergy
ArchpriestRobin Camilleri

History

It was most probably built by the architect Vittorio Cassar in 1580 as a monument to the Christian Victory after the Great Siege of 1565.

Interior of the Basilica

Senglea became a parish in 1581, and was consecrated on 20 October 1743. On 21 May 1786, Pope Pius VI declared the church to be a "collegiata insignis" (distinguished collegiate church), while in 1921, Pope Benedict XV honoured the church with the title of Basilica. After the crowning of the statue of the Virgin Mary on 4 September 1921, the church became a sanctuary of the Virgin Mary.[1][2]

The church was destroyed by bombs in 1941, but was rebuilt and consecrated by Archbishop Gonzi on 24 August 1956.

The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[3]

Works of art

The main attraction of the basilica, a wooden statue of Mary, known as Il-Bambina, was carved in 1618, painted in 1631 and gilded. The sculptor of this statue is still unknown. After the coronation of the statue of Mary in 1921, the church became a sanctuary. The crown contains diamonds and other precious stones. Around the statue are four silver angels created in 1934. In 1956 another existing marble statue, which was consecrated in 1956 was erected. There are four busts of Pope Benedict XV, Archbishop Mauro Caruana, the symbol of Senglea and the Grand Master La Sengle. The columns show 16 saints who are connected with Maria: Four Evangelists, four popes, four Doctors of the Church and the four founders of Christian orders. Furthermore, the church houses seven bells.

Manuscripts

In the Basilica there are many manuscripts dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. All these manuscripts were in cardboard boxes, but thanks to the help of three boys from Naples, they were brought and arranged in an alphanumeric order in a special room. The task of these boys was to carry all these boxes containing manuscripts in this room that was on the second floor of the Basilica. A work of real "fravcator". the second part of their task was to open these boxes and order, on the basis of codes, their contents on shelves. This time a job as librarians. from "fravcator" to librarians it is a moment.

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See also

References
  1. "L-Isla (Senglea)", Archdiocese of Malta, Malta. Retrieved on 8 December 2017.
  2. "Senglea Parish Church". Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. "Collegiate Parish Church of the Nativity of the Madonna" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
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