Inauguration Of The Franciscan Church Of Jesus Façade Restoration
The Minister for National Heritage, Owen Bonnici, inaugurated the completion of the restoration of the façade of the Franciscan Church of Jesus located at the corner of St. John Street and St. Ursula Street in Valletta.
Minister Bonnici explained that this restoration was completed so that the Church can be enjoyed in all its beauty during Lent and subsequently Easter: “The number of people who visit this Church, especially during Lent and Easter, is significant.”
“I am certain that the recognition of this much-loved Church in the City will continue to increase, and this restoration greatly helps the Church to continue to hold an important place in the hearts of Maltese and Gozitans,” he said.
Dr. Bonnici continued: “Through the work and dedication of the workers, this restoration is helping so that this Church continues to be a beautiful temple and can be enjoyed once again by us Maltese as well as tourists visiting these places.”
Architect Jean Frendo from the Department of Restoration and Preservation explained: “Since the façade of the Church on St. John Street is located in a somewhat narrow and shady street, it was characterised by a biological black crust especially on the cornices and pediment, the stone was crumbling and decaying in certain parts like the frontispiece, thus losing some architectural detail.”
The restoration work on the Church began in October 2022 on St. Ursula Street where the interventions included cleaning work, stone replacement, pointing, and filling of joints as needed. Paint, cement coating, and plastering done in the past were carefully removed from the façade to avoid any damage to the original stone.
Before the work began, plans of the façades were prepared to show the forms of deterioration and the interventions that needed to be made. Where the stone was found to be excessively decayed, it was marked on-site to be replaced with new stone of the same height as the original.
The bell tower balustrades were too decayed and had to be completely replaced. Plastering with a lime-based mixture was used to rebuild the stone surface where the damage to the stone was limited to reduce the replacement of stone. The joint plastering was also done with a lime-based mixture. Finally, a glaze was applied to the façade to soften the visual impact of the new stone.
Tag someone from Valletta