In the small town of Mosta, population only twenty three thousand, on the little island of Malta is the third largest unsupported dome in the world. Construction began in 1833 and only twenty eight years later, this church was opened. It is a Roman Catholic Basilica dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, mother of Jesus. The architect, Giorgio Gronet, was asked to base his design on the Roman Pantheon. The new church was built on the site of the earlier church of 1614 designed by Tommaso Dingli. (Recall Dingli cliffs near the town of Dingli?)
There are two bell towers, each with a clock. The one on the right,is a conventional clock to tell the time of day. The one on the left runs much slower and is designed to tell the day and month of the year.
Along the front of the church there are many niches for statues of the apostles.
After stepping through the conventional square lines of a Catholic church, the grandeur of the dome transforms us to a different place.
The walls display a beautiful collection of artistic treasures which are second only to the breathtaking vision of the walls and arches.
Since the basilica is dedicated to Mary it is no surprise to find statues of her in a Catholic Church.
The island is strategical located in the Mediterranean sea near Italy and North Africa so the British air force RAF airport was a major target for Italian and German bombing raids. Wikipedia describes this event. (see link at the end of this post.) “On 9 April 1942, the Luftwaffe dropped three bombs on the church, and two of them deflected without exploding. However, one 50 kg (110 lb) high-explosive bomb pierced the dome and entered the church, where a congregation of 300 people was awaiting early evening Mass. The bomb did not explode, and a Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal unit defused it and dumped it into the sea off the west coast of Malta. This event was interpreted as a miracle by the inhabitants, and a replica of the German bombshell is now displayed in the sacristy at the back of the church, under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta’ April 1942 (meaning “The Bomb Miracle, 9 April 1942″)”
Can you see the patch where the bomb penetrated the dome?
There is even a dome above the dome with its own set of windows.
The back of the church is not as impressive as the front but it is clear it has a round structure with a dome on the dome.
You need to watch this video in full screen mode to get a feel for the grandeur of this rotunda.
Thank you, Doug, for the tour of that magnificent basilica. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and the bomb miracle is an amazing story, worthy of a movie!
A person could spend a day just looking at the artworks.
What a breathtaking tour Doug! It amazes me how they were able to built such magnificent churches, Basilicas and other buildings way back when. Perfect post for Spiritual Sunday!
You may have noticed that they were doing some repairs or upgrades. Maintenance is a big expense for these big buildings.
What a beautiful Church I loved the roof and I know my mom would have loved the dome. Thank you for bringing me to a new place today.