Church and Monastery of St Catherine, Valletta

This article is about the church adjacent to an Augustinian nunnery. For the one adjacent to Auberge d'Italie, see Church of Saint Catherine of Italy, Valletta.
Church of the Presentation of Our Lady / St Catherine
Knisja tal-Preżentazzjoni tal-Madonna
Knisja ta' Santa Katerina
The church's façade in 2017
Map
35°53′59.4″N 14°30′53.7″E / 35.899833°N 14.514917°E / 35.899833; 14.514917
LocationValletta, Malta
DenominationRoman Catholic
Religious orderSecond Order of Saint Augustine
History
StatusChurch
DedicationPresentation of Mary
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Romano Carapecchia
StyleBaroque
Years built1714
Specifications
MaterialsLimestone
Administration
ArchdioceseMalta
ParishValletta (St Dominic)

St Catherine's Monastery (Maltese: Monasteru Santa Katerina ta' Lixandra) is a monastery in Valletta, Malta which houses cloistered nuns of the Second Order of Saint Augustine. It incorporates the Church of the Presentation of Our Lady (Maltese: Knisja tal-Preżentazzjoni tal-Madonna), which is more commonly known as the Church of St Catherine (Maltese: Knisja ta' Santa Katerina). The church and monastery were built in the 18th century and they replaced a previous monastery which had been housed in a 16th-century palace.

History

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The monastery (left) and church (right) in 2013

The origins of St Catherine's Monastery date back to 1580, when the palace of the Marquis Giovanni and Katerina Vasco Oliviero in Valletta began to house the Orfani della Misericordia, a community of women who took care of children. Vasco Oliviero left his possessions to the community, and the palace was transformed into a monastery in 1601.[1][2] A chapel dedicated to the Assumption of Mary was added to the monastery in the 17th century.[3]

The monastery and church were rebuilt in the 18th century to designs of the architect Romano Carapecchia. Construction began in 1714 and continued for several decades. The new church was dedicated to the Presentation of Mary.[4]

In 1849, Pope Pius IX recognized it as a community of Augustinian nuns, and 16 nuns made their profession on 3 September 1851. They have been recognised as being part of the Second Order of Saint Augustine since 1946.[2]

The church falls under the jurisdiction of Valletta's parish of St Dominic.[5] It is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[3]

Architecture

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The church is built in the Baroque style.[4] The monastery includes a garden.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Caruana Dingli, Petra (2018). "The 'Culture of Writing' in Late Sixteenth Century Malta: Oliviero and Caterina Vasco's Charitable Deed". Journal of Baroque Studies. 2 (2): 47–62.
  2. ^ a b "St Catherines Monastery". Archdiocese of Malta. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Chapel of the Nunnery of St. Catherine dedicated to the Presentation of the Madonna" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b De Lucca, Denis (June 2011). "Ephemeral Manifestations in Baroque Malta" (PDF). Baroque Routes. No. 8. pp. 8–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Valletta (St Dominic)". Archdiocese of Malta. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020.
  6. ^ "400-year-old gardens in Valletta to open to public". Malta Today. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016.
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