The Għaqda Dilettanti Mudelli ta’ Knejjes will be holding its annual exhibition at St Francis Hall, Melita Street, Valletta, between February 16 and March 2.

In Malta, religion always played an important role in the life of our ancestors, starting from the Neolithic period when temples such as Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra were built as places of worship.

As time went by, the Maltese tried their best to decorate their temples, especially when St Paul introduced Christianity to Malta in the year 60AD.

When the Knights of St John came to Malta in 1536, a new era started for the Maltese people. The knights were a religious order approved by the Pope, so they continued to instill in the people not only a love for religion but also a love for all that is sacred, such as sculpture and paintings.

At the time, noble families as well as a few knights had small chapels annexed to their houses with altars where Mass used to be celebrated and the rosary and prayers recited. These houses can still be found today in Mdina and Valletta.

However, poor families had small houses with limited space, so a small altar or small shelf in front of a holy picture was sometimes used instead of an altar. The shelf used to form part of the dining room furniture and was commonly referred to as L’ixkaffa tal-Madonna (The Blessed Virgin’s shelf).

This was the beginning of a folkloristic hobby associated with church modelling. As time went by, people keen on decorating this shelf started elaborating decorations, and in some households it developed into a church model, generally resembling that in the village church.

Up to 60 years ago, almost all families had some kind of church model in their house, especially during the months of October and May, to recite the Holy Rosary. Models were usually decorated with damask, candles, flowers and even chandeliers. During World War II, the inhabitants of war-torn Valletta and Cottonera were among the most eager of this folkloristic tradition of church modelling.

Models were generally inherited from father to son and some were embellished by professional artisans who lived in that part of the island. With the destruction of houses in Valletta and Cottonera, some of these models, known for their precise scale and accurate resemblance, were destroyed.

After the war, new hobbies were introduced and church modelling started falling behind. In 1986, three church model enthusiasts met in Floriana and discussed a strategy to revive this tradition. The Għaqda Dilettanti Mudelli ta’ Knejjes was founded, with the aim of reviving this hobby and introducing it to young people. Today, almost 400 members form part of the society, which operates from its Valletta premises.

The society organises activities and monthly meetings, during which professional tradesmen lecture the members in specific fields such as gilding, clay designing and artificial flower-arranging, commonly known as ganutell.

The society also issues its monthly magazine Il-Knisja Tiegħi. Its main event is the annual exhibition of church models during the first two weeks of Lent. Over 100 members present their exhibits, which vary from church models to statues and other items associated with religious folklore.

The exhibition is a showcase of traditional popular art, not necessarily artistic, but a reflection of art by lay people who do their best to imitate the artistic patrimony of Malta’s churches.

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