The
first Dominicans to set up a priory in Valletta arrived from Vittoriosa some
time after work had begun on the construction of the new city under the aegis of
Grand Master La Valette in 1566. The foundation stone of the church was laid on
the 19th April 1571. The building itself was designed by Girolamo
Cassar and dedicated to Our Lady of Fair Havens (Porto Salvo). By
means of a bull issued on the 2nd July 1571, the Dominican Pope, Pius V,
elevated it to a parish.
Unfortunately,
this first church suffered extensive damages, caused mainly by earthquakes.
Given the dangerous state of the building, it had to be pulled down.
Construction work on a new church began in earnest, this time according to a
plan drawn by architect Anton Cachia. The new church, which is the one
that stands today, was blessed by Bishop Ferdinand Mattei on the 15th May 1815
and consecrated by Bishop Pietro Pace on the 15th October 1889.
The
Church measures 38.43 metres in length and 10.6 metres in width. Besides
the main altar, it has six other altars, three on each side, together with two
side-chapels. The altars are dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, St
Catherine of Siena, St Pius V, St Dominic, The Holy Name, St Vincent Ferrer.
The side-chapels are dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament and the Crucified Christ
together with Our Lady of Sorrows.
During
the last years of the 19th century, the church’s ceiling was embellished by a
series of frescoes by one of the leading Maltese artists of the period, Giuseppe
Cali’. These works are now undergoing restoration.
Other artists who left their works in St Dominic’s Church are Ramiro Cali’,
Francesi, Muccioli, Bottoni and P.P. Caruana.