The Italian community, headed by parish priest Fr Gino Gauci, yesterday spilled out of the church of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta, waving small Italian flags and calling for the restoration of the church to be continued after over four years of stagnation.
Following the first and last Mass in a long time at the church - which though described as a "jewel of baroque architecture" is sadly in a state of neglect and awaiting restoration - "Don Gino" read out to its one-off congregation a petition that will be presented to the President and the Prime Minister later on in the week.
Over the balustrades of the church's pristine exterior, where a banner with the words 1/2 Restawr! (Half restoration) was hanging, he requested that the promise made over four years ago to restore the entire church be fulfilled.
Fr Gauci insisted that yesterday's event was not a protest but merely a means to ensure that what had to be done four years ago would be done and to bring the forces together to push for the rightful and immediate restoration of the church by those who were responsible.
He called on the Maltese government to recognise and show appreciation for the assistance it received from its Italian counterpart which, through five financial protocols, has somehow helped to transform the island.
"It is the least the government can do," he said, voicing the community's opinions.
"We have friends who have helped us to get the ball rolling but we also want the government to become one of these friends," he said.
The church of St Catherine of Italy was part of this programme of transformation but, unfortunately, it was stopped half way through. This in spite of the fact that it was an important monument for the country's patrimony, for the history of the capital city and also because, from its foundation, it represents a piece of Italy, which is still present in the large community that uses it, Fr Gauci said.
He said the issue would not end this week, with the presentation of the petition, but "we will continue to knock on the right, responsible and friendly doors until what we are asking for materialises".
Although funds had been allocated for the complete restoration of the church by the 4th Italian financial protocol, only its exterior had been restored, Italian restorer Giuseppe Mantella said.
He could not understand why the interior had been ignored - despite the fact that a whole project had been set up - leaving the church in a state of disuse. It has no electricity, or sanitary facilities, Mr Mantella said, apart from the fact that the dome and its eight frescoes, painted under the direction of Mattia Preti and depicting episodes from the life of St Catherine of Alexandria, needed to be conserved.
About Lm150,000 are required for the works, Mr Mantella said, questioning where the money to complete the project went.
But there has also been assistance from certain quarters: over the past three months, St James Centre for Creativity has been organising concerts in the church to help raise funds.
New life was also breathed into the derelict, cold and empty church when a marriage was celebrated there recently, helping its cause. The Maltese bride had set her heart on getting married in the church of St Catherine and her family footed the expenses to do what was necessary to hold the Mass and temporarily revitalise it to its former glory.
The paintings, including the main altarpiece by Preti, depicting the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria, were transported from St John's Co-Cathedral, where they have been stored away for years and where they will be returning to after the last concert yesterday evening.
"We had candles and a crucifix put in place; it was cleaned up and the dust and pigeon droppings removed, even though this was the first and last Mass until it undergoes restoration," said restorer Sante Guido, whose team has been working on St John's Co-Cathedral for about eight years and who is lending a helping hand to the cause.
"We are not here as a restoration company, looking for business," he stressed. "We do not even restore this sort of thing because we work on metals. Our involvement here is purely as friends of Don Gino and in a show of support for him and the Italian community to help him open his church, " Mr Guido stressed.
"We feel we have to lend a hand... to allow Don Gino and the Italian community to come back home." The 700th anniversary of the death of St Catherine was being commemorated this year and provided the opportune moment to step up the campaign to open the church again, Mr Mantella said.
As part of the anniversary, every Preti around Malta, which represents St Catherine, is being brought over to the Cappella d'Italia in St John's Co-Cathedral for a one-month exhibition. The chapel, dedicated to St Catherine, is being restored.
The church of St Catherine of Italy has been described as "one of the most important in Valletta". Indeed, one of the most interesting of the smaller churches in Malta, it was built in 1576, according to the designs of Girolamo Cassar. But it has since been through a number of trials and tribulations: modifications were effected in 1626 and it was damaged by the 1693 earthquake. By 1711, the fabric of the church was in such a bad state that the only solution was a drastic overhaul and it was reconstructed by Italian architect Romano Carapecchia in 1713.
The church's façade had been blackened by pollution and its restoration was carried out four years ago on the initiative of the Restoration Unit within the Environment Ministry.
Costing Lm150,000, the works were performed by an Italian firm of restorers in collaboration with the University of Bologna.
St Catherine has always been the church of the Italian community, which has had to move to St James in Merchants Street over the last six years.
The poster on the wall says a thousand words in the short message: half restored. Waving small flags, members of the Italian community with one voice yesterday called for the full restoration of the church of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta after four years of stagnation. Picture: Darrin Zammit Lupi