A fundraising campaign to cover the expenses of major conservation and restoration works taking place at a small church in Nadur was launched yesterday evening.

Detachments of the canvas from the stone fabric.

The  project concerns the so-called ‘marouflage’ paintings that adorn the ceiling and dome of the  Sacred Heart of Jesus church, which was built in the early 20th century by a Gozitan family. 

These works were executed between 1953 and 1956 by Ġużeppi Briffa, one of the pioneer Maltese artists of the 20th century.

“The marouflage paintings found in this church form part of the national artistic heritage left to us by this prolific artist. Unfortunately, they are in an advanced state of deterioration and risk being lost once and for all if not treated,” Amy Sciberras, who has been entrusted with the extensive restoration project, said.

The term ‘marouflage’ refers to a painting executed on canvas, which, in turn, would be attached to walls and ceilings. 

The execution of the drawing can be carried out both before the attachment of the canvas to the wall and afterwards. The canvas can also be glued to a wooden board or fibreglass panel and, ultimately, to the wall.

“In this particular case, the canvas has been glued directly to the ceiling,” Ms Sciberras said.

The subject of the nave paintings, side-chapels and choir represent the seven sacraments. These include the depiction of the Baptism of Jesus Christ by St John the Baptist, St Paul receiving Confirmation and St Publius’s father receiving the Anointing of the Sick. 

The paintings are in an advanced state of deterioration and risk being lost once and for all if not treated

The theme of the dome decoration is that of Christ’s crucifixion, with the crucified Christ being the most prominent figure. 

Other scenes on the four pendentives beneath the dome depict the Last Supper, St Margaret Mary Alacoque’s vision of Christ, Christ’s apparition to Thomas and the Apostles, and the vision of St John Eudes.

In years of investigations as part of her M.Sc. thesis, Ms Sciberras used various advanced scientific techniques and examined the architectural fabric using methods such as thermal imaging. 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus church was built between 1902 and 1908 by a Gozitan family. It is open daily for Mass.

She also examined the constituent materials used by the artist, the various types of deterioration and their distribution, as well as what led to the advanced state of deterioration. 

“These studies and examinations led me to formulate a conservation strategy which is unique and specific to this site and to the types of deterioration exhibited by these paintings,” she said.

The fundraising campaign was launched by former Gozo minister and Heritage Malta chairman Anton Refalo. 

Ms Sciberras explained that every donor agency or individual donor stands to benefit from “exclusive opportunities”, including a high-end and long-term marketing campaign.

Donations can be made through www.amysciberras.com. For more information, one may contact Ms Sciberras through the website.

Degraded canvas and lacunae in areas exhibiting decay products.

The nave marouflage paintings