The crucifix sculptured in wood by Giuseppe Casha can be seen on this altar in the left transcept.

The church which is the subject of this feature was originally dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Porto Salvo. Although its titular name never changed, this designation was kept until 1662 when the church was handed over to the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. Subsequently, it gained another more popular name as it became known as the church of St Philip. Even today, after almost 90 years since the death of Mgr Angelo Raggio, the last Oratorian, it is fondly known as Ta’ San Filippu among residents of Senglea.

Carlo Vella designed the plan of the church in the shape of a Latin cross, the preferred post-Tridentine plan for churches. As illustrated in the first part of this feature, the nave encompasses four altars dedicated to the Virgin of Mount Carmel, the Nativity of Jesus, St John the Baptist and St Michael. The nave provides the central approach to the high altar dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin.

By 1686, the church had two transepts, which replaced the shallow indentations that previously contained the altars dedicated to St Andrew and the Virgin of the Rosary. Two altars were placed in each of the two new transept arms. These were originally dedicated to St Philip Neri, the Holy Crucifix, St Anthony of Padova and St Andrew.

The main altar of the right transcept is dedicated to St Philip Neri, the canvas being the work of Don Pedro Nunez de Villavicencio. Like Mattia Preti, de Villavicencio was also a knight of St John. Born in 1640 in Seville, Spain, in a noble family, he joined the Order about 1659, spending some years in Malta to comply with his military service.

Villavicencio gives St Philip a spacious environment, the Madonna and Child of the apparition are treated differently and are accompanied by fluttering little angels in various poses and attitudes

Whilst on the island he was attracted into the workshop of Mattia Preti, becoming one of his pupils and acquiring such skill as to be able to perfectly imitate the Calabrian master. In 1675 he permanently established himself in his native city where he became a member of the Academy of Painting and maintained a lifelong friendship with its founder and first president, the famous painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682). Don Pedro died in Seville at the close of the 17th century.

Every single altar in the church is highly adorned by unique front elevations. This altar of Our Lady of Lourdes is one typical example.

In Malta, without excluding the possibility of other works by him in the Maltese islands, there are only two assured paintings by Villavicencio. One is the Madonna and Child in the parish church of Żejtun and the other is the alterpiece of St Philip Neri.

This painting, executed in oils on canvas, together with the elaborately carved Baroque stonework by Maestro Petruzzo Debono by which it is enframed, completely dominates the right transept of the church.

Though not an exact copy, it is largely inspired by Guido Reni’s rendering of the same subject in the Sanctuary of Vallicella in Rome. The general outline of the composition, the distribution of light and pose of the saint – kneeling with open arms and wearing an elaborate red chasuble – are the main features derivative from Reni.

Villavicencio gives St Philip a spacious environment, the Madonna and Child of the apparition are treated differently and are accompanied by a numerous host of fluttering little angels in various poses and attitudes. One of the angels sits at the edge of the canvas holding a lily and scribbling something in a large book or register. At the other end, balancing the writing angel, is the escutcheon of Villavicencio. At a further plane, Villavicencio added a confrere of the saint spying at the scene from behind a door left ajar.

St Philip Neri painted by Don Pedro Nunez de Villavicencio in 1668.

The treatment of the colours shows the influences of contemporary works by Mattia Preti. On the painting, along its bottom edge, is recorded the name of the artist and the date of the painting. This inscription, which can be considered as a sort of signature, runs thus: El caballero fr. D. Pedro ...vicencio lo hizo en el ano 1668 (The knight Fra Don Pedro …vicencio made it in the year 1668). This inscription is fundamental in confirming Villavicencio’s presence in Malta in 1668 and the artistic standard he had attained by then.

The second altar in this trascept, which was originally consecrated to the Holy Crucifix, is today dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. Though rather unusual in such a highly Baroque environment, this altar has no painting but an imitation of the grotto of Massabielle, in France, where the Blessed Virgin appeared to St Bernardette in 1858. In fact, the grotto is adorned with a statue of the Virgin and of the saint, both made out of paper mâché by Senglea-born statuarian Carlo Darmanin.

In the left transcept, facing the altar of St Philip Neri, we can admire Tommaso Madiona’s Our Lady of Guadalupe as pala d’altare on the only altar to bear that title in Malta. An artist, painter and engraver as well as renowned musician, Madiona was born in Senglea in 1803. His skill gained him the opportunity of being sent to Rome for further studies where he moved in the circle of Tommaso Minardi  and Johann Overbeck.

On his return to Malta, he was commissioned to paint in various churches. The Nativity of the Virgin Mary (1850) for the Senglea collegiate church is considered as his materpiece. Unfortunately, because of the loss of his eyesight, his brilliant career came to an abrupt end at the age of 60 in 1864.

This altarpiece, set up in this transcept, also beautifully decorated with several refined works in Malta’s globigerina limestone, refers to what happend in Mexico on December 9, 1531, when Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, a poor humble Aztec Indian who had converted to the Catholic faith. She requested the building of a shrine dedicated to her on the spot where she appeared, Tepeyac Hill, now in a suburb of Mexico City.

The choir’s vault, showing St Peter and St Paul together with the Holy Trinity, is a fresco painting by Lazzaro Pisani.

However, the bishop demanded a sign before he would approve construction of a church. Mary appeared a second time to Juan Diego and ordered him to collect roses. In a second audience with the bishop, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor and revealing the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of his tilma, or poncho – the image that is now venerated at the Basilica of Guadalupe.

In the left transcept, facing the altar of St Philip Neri, we can admire Tommaso Madiona’s Our Lady of Guadalupe as pala d’altare on the only altar to bear that title in Malta

In Madiona’s painting, Our Lady is given central place. To its right, there is Juan Diego accompanied by an angel indicating the Blessed Virgin with his index finger – one of Madiona’s characteristics. To the left, there is an image of St Andrew, the apostle, to whom this altar was originally dedicated. The original painting of St Andrew is held in the sacresty of the church.

The second altar in this trascept, which was originally dedicated to St Anthony of Padova, is today consecrated to the Holy Crucifix. On this altar stands a large crucifix. This was sculptured in wood in 1794 by Giuseppe Casha, and incidentally, it is his only known Maltese work. In this crucifix, Casha reinterprets a typology first proposed by Gian. Lorenzo Bernini for the altars of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Once completed, the polichromy of this crucifix was entrusted to the painter Rocco Buhagiar.

The painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Tommaso Madiona.

The dome of this church, built in 1743, is made up of eight panels featuring biblical personalities – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezechiel and Daniel. Together with the choir’s vault, these fresco paintings were made by Lazzaro Pisani (1854-1932) in the early years of the 20th century. In fact, Pisani is considered one of Malta’s most important artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

He started his studies with Michele Bellanti and Ignazio Carlo Cortis and won a scholarship at the Accademia di San Luca and the British Academy in Rome. His career was, however, largely overshadowed by Giuseppe Calì (1846-1930) who netted many of the most lucrative and prestigious commissions. In spite of having such a formidable competitor, Pisani got his fair share of sacred art and portrait work.

It is appropriate here to include the four pendentives beneath the dome, painted by Ignazio Carlo Cortis (1826-1898) in 1897. Born in Valletta, Cortis studied under Tommaso Minardi at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. He lived most of his life in Rome, where he also died. These pendentives portray St Anne with Our Lady, St Joachim, St Elizabeth and St Zachariah with St John the Baptist.

Our country is so rich in terms of art. Whether they are palaces, churches or other historic buildings, as well as paintings, sculptures and books. Anywhere we gaze we can appreciate heritage bequeathed by past generations. A rich and abundant religious inheritance has been handed down through our ancesstors. We, forming part of the present generation, ought to become more aware of this and appreciate it much more.

It is up to us to see that all this artistic legacy, which endows our lives with beauty and colour, will continue to receive the necessary care and attention. For, indeed, it is a legacy bequeathed from the past, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.

Concluded