Charles R. Cassar’s dissertation on the precious collection of works of art at St George’s Basilica in Victoria is, the Parish said, “certainly one of the most valuable recent contributions to its history.”
Charles Cassar has just graduated BA(Hons) in History of Art at the University of Malta, and his research study, a catalogue of works of art at St George’s Basilica, Gozo is a very interesting read for all those interested in the artistic heritage of the Parish.
The origins of the Church and the Church situation in Gozo are very sketchy, since the Turkish invaded and laid siege on Gozo in 1551 and practically destroyed all the documents that existed in Gozo before this fateful date. Thus it is only in the fifteenth century that a clear view can be gauged about the state of affairs of the Church in Gozo and the developments that occurred after the Muslim period.
In medieval times Rabat, today’s Victoria, was practically the only populated area in Gozo and consequently Rabat and Gozo were synonymous. St George’s parish church has for centuries stood in the centre of the Borgo, where the majority of the Gozitan population resided, and is recorded to have been functioning as a parish before 1450. Being outside the protective walls of the Castello, the church suffered the brunt of many razzias that the marauding Turkish corsairs unremittingly inflicted on Gozo. These frequent incursions reduced the church of St George to a decrepit building, barely capable to serve the religious needs of the community.
The foundation stone of the present church was laid on August 7, 1672 and the church, in the form of a Latin cross, was dedicated by Bishop Paolo Alpheran de Bussan on the 21st of September 1755. A marble inscription commemorating the dedication can be seen above the baptismal font inside the church. This plaque was put in the place of an earlier inscription that mentioned the “Proto-Parish,” which no longer exists but fortunately was transcribed by Can. Gian Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis (1712-1770) in his book Gozo antico e moderno, sacro e profano.
The Parish said that “throughout its existence St George’s church has attracted many artists whose works of art embellish the church and which in turn have transformed it into a microcosm of the major trends of Maltese art from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. These works include paintings, sculptures, statuary, church furniture, sacred silver objects, liturgical paraphernalia, objects d’art, sacred vestments and bronze doors.”
“Inside the environs of the church one finds, among others, the works of Mattia Preti, Stefano and Alessio Erardi, Giuseppe d’Arena, Enrico Regnaud, Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Francesco Vincenzo Zahra, Sigismondo Dimech, Pietro Paolo Azzopardi, Carlo Ignazio Cortis, Giuseppe Calì, Abram Gatt, Emanuele Buhagiar, Gian Battista Conti, Carlo Pisi and Vincent Apap. On its part, the church has undergone various structural and architectural developments, notably the remodelling of the choir and apse, and the addition of side aisles in the twentieth century,” the Parish said.
Charles Cassar’s study collates objectively by means of an artistic appreciation a large part of the various works of art that are to be found in St George’s church. The principal aim of this art historical study is to examine the artistic value of these works and to put them in their proper context. The study also pursues to compare the work of the different artists that have their work at St George’s with their other works found in other churches in these islands. A brief biography of the artists, where these are known, is also included.
“One of the major decoration projects that occurred in the middle part of the twentieth century was the decoration of the nave, transepts, apses and dome of the church of the Italian artist Gian Battista Conti (1878-1971). Many of the bozzetti of the whole scheme are in the possession of the donors, many of whom are known and are still alive. The study explores the mechanics of patronage that was exercised for this particular artistic project and, moreover, also seeks to describe, through the bozzetti and the finished work, how the artist’s initial ideas were transported onto the church’s ceiling,” the Parish continued.
“The dissertation encompasses works that were produced between the sixteenth and the twenty-first century. For the sake of coherence, the works are arranged according to different periods (centuries) as this is considered to be the proper way to group the different artistic strands.”
“It is hoped,” the Parish concluded, “that Charles Cassar’s catalogue will help to disseminate more information about the exquisite artistic collection at St George’s church and serve as an important source for future researchers. Paul Cassar is a very active member of the Fondazzjoni Belt Victoria and is now reading an MA at the Department of History of Art within the Faculty of Arts in the University of Malta, focusing his research on two Gozitan artists who both worked at St George’s Parish Church.