Works in progress. Those words come to mind all too often while roaming Valletta’s streets nowadays. Thankfully, this is not a bad thing.

The capital is a whole “work in progress” at the moment. However, there is so much going on that commuters, shoppers or tourists might not stop to take note of the individual embellishment projects currently underway, especially when these projects are not in the immediate city centre.

This could very well be the case with St Catherine’s church and monastery which is found towards the latter end of Republic Street.

The whole of the ample façade of St Catherine’s underwent a complete facelift over some 18 months. Under the supervision of architect Jojo Delia, the façade restoration was entrusted to subcontractors Alfred Stubbings and Raymond Frendo. Mr Stubbings and Mr Frendo have been in the business for over 25 years and their upcoming projects include the restoration of the courtyard of the Malta Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce, found just a few metres away from St Catherine’s church and monastery.

They explain that the facade restoration was a tedious and laborious process and that some portions of the exterior had crumbled due to years of severe weathering. Looking at the façade now, one wouldn’t have the faintest clue as to the extent of work involved to restore the limestone brickwork to its former state and glory.

The exterior only serves to mirror the restoration works being carried out in the church’s interior, where restorer Emanuel Zammit has been perched up on wooden planks for more than a few months.

He quickly explains how he first completed the restoration of the apse above the altar last year, and how he now had his hands full with the restoration of the paintings in the cupola.

All the wall paintings in the dome were executed by Giuseppe Cali at the beginning of the last century. However, they were in a very bad state, Mr Zammit said, with whole patches of the paintings having fallen off due to humidity. Mr Zammit explained that Cali’s technique was both fast and practical and this involved applying a thin layer of plaster to the wall after which he would then complete his works in oils. Mr Zammit hopes that he will manage to complete the dome’s restoration in time for St Catherine’s feast in November.

The restoration works which have been carried out so far – both in the church and on the façade – are being paid for by the monastery but the Augustinian Sisters have also received assistance through the Good Causes Fund. But the Mother Superior told The Times that there are still many other areas which need to be addressed and duly restored. So she appeals to the generosity of any individuals and/or companies who would like to assist their cause.