This is my second post about a Maltese church. If I were to cover all the churches of just Valletta we would be overwhelmed. There is Baroque wherever I looked. This particular miniature example is so prominent near the Presidential palace and opposite the important Lady of Victories Church which I may cover later. It was originalklyt built as the chapel for the Italian knights of St John. Remember that the Knights Hospitaller of St John were international and made up of eight Langues from Italy, England, Auvergne, Germany, Provence, France, Castile, and Aragon and Navarre. Having had to leave Rhodes in 1522 because of Suleiman's Turkish invasion, they moved to Malta in 1530. Each Langue had a headquarters called an auberge with a chapel. The Italian auberge is next door to this church which was the original Italian chapel. It still acts as the church for Italians who live in Valletta.
Originally built in 1576 it was enlarged in the 17th century with an octagonal section being added to the original chapel which then became the chancel of the church. Mattia Preti (1613-1699) did the altar piece painting of the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria and also the ceiling decoration of the cupola.
I think my photos give some indication of the elegance of this little church. Its like a jewel box.
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