280 years ago, Malta’s largest trompe l’oeil – the Gozo Cathedral dome – was raised into position. The excellently restored dome will be officially inaugurated today, Saturday, the 14th of December, at 7.30pm, after a year-long restoration by PrevArti of Mosta.

The completed restoration and conservation work on the Gozo Cathedral dome trompe l’oeil is being inaugurated by the Kura Association within the Gozo diocese.

It will be carried out be Mgr. Mario Grech, Apostolic Administrator for Gozo and Dr. Aaron Farrugia, Parliamentary Secretary for European Affairs, in the presence of Dr Justyne Caruana, Minister for Gozo.

For the occasion, short speeches on various aspects related to the dome will be delivered by Mgr Dr Joseph Bezzina, editor of a history of the Cathedral; Prof. Giuseppe Ingaglio, an expert on perspective paintings from Piazza Armerina, Sicily; Pierre Bugeja, chief restorer PrevArti; and Dr Mark Sagona, lecturer in history of Art.

The speeches will be interspersed with musical pieces by the Cappella Sanctae Mariae Assumptae, under the direction of Carmel P. Grech.This triumphantly successful trompe l’oeil of the Cathedral was created by Antonio Emanuele known as Pippi, a Sicilian scenographer from Messina, and it was raised into position on the 24th of March 1739. The dome had been first restored in 1823.

The Gozo Cathedral said that the trompe l’oeil is the chief attraction of the Cathedral vault. Observed while walking up the nave towards the sanctuary, “it is difficult to figure out whether it is really a dome or just a tour de force on a flat ceiling.”

It said that it achieves a fantastic sense of perspective and space and is convincingly real, even to the extent of the depiction of a lifelike gecko snaking up a window pane.

Top photo: The dome during restoration at PrevArti – Malta – JJP Zammit; and below the restored dome – photo Gozo Diocese

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