restoration work in the Oratory of the Honorees in the Jesuit Church
The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici inaugurated the wonderful restoration works carried out in the Oratory of the Honorees in the Jesuit Church in Valletta. Thanks to this work, carried out by the Restoration and Preservation Division, the restoration of the two oratories, that of the Honored and that of the Immaculate Conception, has now been fully completed in this Church which is so important in the history of our country.
This restoration work of the Oratory of the Honorees was done with an investment of €1.7 million from national funds to restore this Oratory, that of the Immaculate Conception and the Sacristy. Now the two oratories can once again be used by the Jesuit Church Foundation for both cultural and religious purposes.
Minister Bonnici emphasized the importance of restoring these important heritage places, which are located in the heart of the capital city for the strengthening of the national identity and so that they can be enjoyed by the Maltese and Gozitan people. He stressed that from 2015 until today, apart from the restoration of the oratories, work was also done to restore the roof, the dome, the couplets on the chapels, the bell tower and the restoration of -fronts of the Church in Triq il-Merkanti, Triq l’Archisqof and Triq San Pawl with an investment once again of national funds.
He stressed that the Government will not stop here when it comes to this Church, but the process of restoring the internal part, which is well known to the public because of the graduations that take place in it, will be done with an investment, is going on. additional €1.65 million. “The patrimonial heritage also attracts visitors who come to our country to experience the religious and artistic heritage. It is our duty to see that the patrimony of our country passes from the present generations to the future ones in the best way and that is what we are doing with this large investment from national funds which will be touching a total of €5 million with works on the outside and inside the Church,” said Dr. Bonnici.
Apart from the works on the Oratory of the Honorees, the restoration of several paintings was also inaugurated with an investment of €217,120 from European funds. While the paintings within the Oratory of the Immaculate Conception are a collaborative work of the Baroque artists Stefano Erardi and Filippino Dingli, executed in 1650, the paintings in the Oratory of the Honored are a collaborative work of the artists of the baroque era Stefano Erardi and his son Alessio.
President of the Jesuit Church Foundation Rev. Dr. Nicholas Joseph Doublet explained how the Jesuit Church Foundation is pleased to see the visible results that have already been achieved in the conservation and restoration of the two Oratories and the sacristy of this monumental complex. “This restoration is allowing us to give back to the local community some of the most beautiful baroque spaces in Valletta, and we have created a new cultural center in the City. As an integral part of this project, the second cultural season, Music & More, is currently underway, which is aimed at promoting the artistic and musical talent of our young people, thus continuing the formative tradition that forms an integral part of – goal of the Jesuit complex,” concluded Fr Doublet.
The Administrative Secretary of the Archdiocese of Malta Michael Pace Ross spoke about the historical and artistic significance of these extraordinary and large paintings that complement and are proportional to the architecture and sculpture of the Oratories. These paintings are interwoven with the social and religious history, that of the Confraternities, who commissioned these paintings in a place of prayer and devotion. Pace Ross said that today we can enjoy these oratories again as they were when they were built 365 years ago.
The Architect in charge of these works Mark Azzopardi explained the technical work that was done. He said that the project of restoring the walls and floor of the Oratories is a project that needed great attention to be done. “A series of preliminary studies have been carried out. First of all a series of tests were taken and trials were made in order to create a procedure. When the scaffolding was completed, we could confirm that there was a light brown and white pastata on everything and that this pastata had been contaminated with dust and sand. We established a methodology how this dirt could be removed without removing the paint underneath. At the same time, we documented all these colors, both before and after the cleaning, as well as we did studies to understand the composition of these colors,” explained Architect Azzopardi.
