{"id":2012,"date":"2021-05-05T17:23:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T15:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofm.mt\/ofmmt\/?p=2012"},"modified":"2021-05-05T17:23:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T15:23:10","slug":"450-years-since-the-franciscan-friars-minor-received-the-plot-of-land-on-which-they-built-the-santa-maria-di-gesu-church-ta-giezu-in-valletta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofm.mt\/ofmmt\/450-years-since-the-franciscan-friars-minor-received-the-plot-of-land-on-which-they-built-the-santa-maria-di-gesu-church-ta-giezu-in-valletta\/","title":{"rendered":"450 YEARS SINCE THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS MINOR RECEIVED THE PLOT OF LAND ON WHICH THEY BUILT THE SANTA MARIA DI GES\u00d9 CHURCH (TA\u2019 \u0120IE\u017bU) IN VALLETTA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 18 May 1571 the Franciscan Friars Minor, at the time known as the Friars\nMinor of the Regular Observance, received a plot of land from Grand Master\nPietro Del Monte close to Porta del Monte\n<\/em>(today\u2019s Victoria Gate<\/em>) in\nValletta, on which they were to build their second church and friary in Malta\nafter the church and friary of Santa\nMaria di Ges\u00f9<\/em> in Rabat, where they settled in 1500 after lengthy\npreparations going back to 1482. All Mendicant Orders of religious received\nplots of land in Valletta on which to build their respective conventual\nchurches and friaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Franciscans had presented their request to Grand Master Del Monte some\ntime before 19 April 1571. On that same day the Grand Master accepted their\nrequest and published the decree by which he donated to them, free of charge\nlike he did to all other religious, a plot of land in the area between Via Del\nMonte (St. John Street), Via San Pietro (St. Ursola Street) and Via Santa Maria\ndella Vittoria (St. Lucia Street).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract was drawn on 18 May 1571 in front of Notary Placido Abela.\nPresent at the drawing up of the contract were, on the part of the Commissaries\nentrusted by the Grand Master and Council, the knights Fra\u2019 Raimondo Fortuyn\nand Fra\u2019 Giorgio Cacherano, and the Maltese engineer and architect Girolamo\nCassar, who was to be the architect of the new church. On the part of the\nFranciscan religious community who came from Rabat the contract mentions Fra\u2019\nNicola di Calabria as Vicar of the Sicilian Provincial, Fra\u2019 Baptista di Malta,\nFra\u2019 Michele di Malta, Fra\u2019 Domenico di Malta, Fra\u2019 Benedetto di Malta, Fra\u2019\nAntonio di Tapani and Fra\u2019 Salvo di Malta (Archives Franciscan Friars,\nValletta, Atti Originali<\/em>, VII, docs.\n3 and 4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the contract was finalised on 18 May 1571 the actual official\nlaying of the foundation stone took place four years later, on 21 September\n1575, even though the building must have already been progressing. That is why\nthe year 1575 is normally indicated as the year of the building of the Ta\u2019\n\u0120ie\u017cu Church. The title given by the common people to the church and friary,\nnamely \u201cTa\u2019 \u0120ie\u017cu\u201d, already existed in the case of the older Rabat church and\nfriary, dedicated to Santa Maria di Ges\u00f9<\/em>\n(abbreviated to di Giesu<\/em> in\nSicilian), a title common to many of the churches of the Franciscan Observants\nin Sicily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This initial date in the long history of this popular church, known especially for the Crucifix by Fra\u2019 Innocenzo da Petralia Sottana and for the devotion to the Addolorata (Duluri<\/em>), is commemorted within the context of the plans for restoration on the Church and the Friary, which are one of the architectural gems of Valletta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Article by Fr. Noel Muscat OFM, This historical information is taken from the late <\/em>P. \u0120or\u0121 Aquilina OFM, Il-Fran\u0121iskani Maltin (Ta\u2019 \u0120ie\u017cu) 1482c-1965c<\/em>, Malta 2011, pp. 307-311). <\/p>\n\n\n\n