Church of Our Lady of Damascus, Valletta
The Church of Our Lady of Damascus (Greek: Εκκλησία της Παναγίας της Δαμασκού) is a Greek Byzantine Catholic Church church in Valletta, Malta. It is also called Id-Damaxxena.
| Church of Our Lady of Damascus | |
|---|---|
| Εκκλησία της Παναγίας της Δαμασκού | |
Il-Knisja tal-Madonna ta' Damasku | |
 | |
  Church of Our Lady of Damascus | |
| 35°53′55.9″N 14°30′52.7″E | |
| Location | Valletta |
| Country | Malta |
| Denomination | Greek Byzantine Catholic Church |
| Website | Website of the Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1580 |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Damascus |
| Consecrated | 15 August 1951 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Byzantine architecture |
| Specifications | |
| Number of domes | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Malta |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | George Mifsud Montanaro |
| Deacon(s) | Martin Zammit Dennis Mifsud |
Original Church
The original church was built upon the request of Giovanni Calamia to house the icon of Our Lady of Damascus brought over from Rhodes by the Knights of St John when they were expelled from the island by the Ottoman Empire. By 1580 the church was finished. In 1587 the Icon of Our Lady of Damascus was solemnly transferred from Vittoriosa to the new church.[1]
Present Church
On March 24, 1942, during one of the bombings of Valletta, the Church of Our Lady of Damascus was hit and completely destroyed. Many icons were lost under the debris of the church. It was because of the initiative of Italo-Albanian Papàs Gjergji Schirò from Piana degli Albanesi, that the Church was rebuilt and reconsecrated on August 15, 1951 by Archbishop Georgios Halavazis.[2]
Present use
The church is mainly used by the Catholic community of the Greek rite of Malta for Divine Liturgy. The church is also used by the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, and now the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, by Armenian Orthodox Church, by Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox and Belarusian Orthodox.[3]
References
- "Valletta", malta-canada.com, Malta. Retrieved on 08 June 2014.
- "71 years ago: The Destruction of the Greek-Catholic Church in Valletta.", http://greekcatholicmalta%5B%5D. Retrieved on 08 June 2014.
- "Orthodox Churches in Malta" Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, Archdiocese of Malta, Malta. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.
