Valletta church history

In his letter St Paul's Church (December 14), Noel Fabri had rectified two assertions regarding St Paul's church in Valletta featured in a recent publication - At Home In Malta.

Mr Fabri was correct in stating that the said church "was never built for the Carmelite Order and was never taken over by the Jesuit Order".

However, there was a close association between the Carmelite Order and St Paul's church through an agreement between the Cathedral Chapter and the Order to allow the newly appointed parish priest to officiate and administer the sacraments from their church during the building of his parish church dedicated to St Paul's Shipwreck.

With regard to the Jesuits' Order and St Paul's church, it was not a case of "taken over" but an exchange of building sites.

While Mr Fabri very rightly corrected these inaccuracies, he fell victim of an inaccuracy himself! He stated: "It (St Paul's church) was always run by an independent Chapter".

St Paul's church was run by an independent Chapter only when it was elevated to the rank of a "collegiate" by virtue of a Papal Bull dated September 16, 1733, issued by Pope Clement XII.

Inquisitor Stoppani, on December 7 of the same year, held the investiture of the new canons forming the newly elected collegiate Chapter in private at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa.

Later, Inquisitor Durini held a public installation of these first canons at St Paul's church in Valletta on September 5, 1737.

Prior to this change of status, the responsibility and running of the parish church dedicated to St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta fell squarely on its various parish priests. The first being Dun Teramo Balzan appointed in 1570 by Mgr Anton Bartolo, Capitular Vicar sede vacante.