The restoration work on Mattia Preti’s painting St Nicholas of Bari, found at Floriana’s Sarria church, is nearly finished, Din l-Art Ħelwa said yesterday.

The work is being carried out by Giuseppe Mantella Restauri, which has already restored three other paintings at the church.

“This place of worship was commissioned by Grand Master Nicholas Cottoner to Mattia Preti in 1676.

Although Preti was not an architect, he designed the perfect plan for this little architectural jewel, the only building known to have been designed by him,” Din l-Art Ħelwa said.

According to the NGO, the grandmaster wished the church to be dedicated to the Immaculate Conception in thanksgiving for the relief from a plague. He also commissioned paintings dedicated to saints who were known to intercede for deliverance from the feared pestilence.

“So far, the grand altarpiece – Immacolata, the St Sebastian and St Rosalia have been completed with the generous support of patrons,” the NGO added.

Din l-Art Ħelwa is again appealing for sponsors to come forward and donate for the restoration of the two Preti lunettes

The costs to restore St Nicholas of Bari are being met by Paul Mifsud, managing director of Spar-kasse Bank Malta.

The NGO is still in need of sponsorships for two lunettes that are in dire need of repair.

One represents the Order genuflecting before its patron saint, St John, while the other, an allegory of good victorious over evil, depicts the Archangel Michael overpowering Satan.

While the walls of the historic Sarria church are being redecorated, Din l-Art Ħelwa said it was once again appealing for sponsors to come forward and donate for the restoration of the two Preti lunettes in an effort to have the whole church returned to its pristine splendour in time for the Valletta 2018 events.

For more information, write to info@dinlarthelwa.org or visit the website www.dinlarthelwa.org.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.