Restoration works at Xagħra Collegiate and Basilica

The side chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Xagħra Basilica recently underwent extensive conservation and restoration works. The work was carried out by Zejtun restorer Manwel Zammit.

The cupola painting by Roman artist Virginio Monti has suffered severe cracks over the past decades to the extent that some of the colours were peeling off. The restoration has revamped its original colours and some of the mortar that had colour attached to it was painstakingly reintegrated. Further restoration works were applied to the four pendentives on canvas by Monti.

Even the altar painting dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is undergoing restoration. The painting is the work of Francesco Vincenzo Zahra and dates to around 1728, making it one of the earliest executions by Zahra at the age of 18. It is complemented by a sculptured prospective, which bears the artist's heavy influence in design and composition.

The works also included the repainting and gilding of the surrounding sculptured stone features as well as the installation of stained-glass windows by village craftsmen under Zammit's supervision.

Restoration works are to be wound up shortly after the feast.