EDGAR VELLA

Relics and Reliquaries in the Diocese of Maltaduring the Baroque Period 1600–1798

EDGAR VELLA

Relics and Reliquaries in the Diocese of Malta

during the Baroque Period 1600–1798

Published by

6 Strait Street, Valletta, Maltawww.midseabooks.com

AuthorEdgar Vella

PhotographerJoe P. Borg

Copy-editorLouis J. Scerri

Design & LayoutJoseph Mizzi/John Busuttil Leaver

Printed at Gutenberg Press, MaltaISBN: 978-99932-7-562-6

Dedicated to my parents, Joseph and Rose

Front cover: A detail of the urn with the relics of St Calcedonius, conserved beneath the main altar of the Manresa chapel in the Archbishop’s Curia Floriana

Back cover: A detail of an 18th-century architectural reliquary conserving the rib fragment of St Teresa, Discalced Carmelite Church, Cospicua

The publisher would like to thank

for their support in the publishing of this book

Literary Copyright © Edgar Vella, 2016Editorial Copyright © Midsea Books Ltd, 2016Photography Copyright © Midsea Books Ltd, 2016

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the previous written permission of the authors and/or rightful owners.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS iii

Contents

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER ITHE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS .................................................................................................... 1 The cult of the relics: Origins, history, liturgical, and devotional aspects. ............................................ 1 History of the cult and the doctrine of the relics .......................................................................................... 2 Relics during the Apostolic and Post-Apostolic period............................................................................... 2 ThecultofrelicsandtheinfluenceoftheHolyLand ................................................................................. 3 The cult of relics in the East ............................................................................................................................... 4 The cult of relics in the West .............................................................................................................................. 4 The cult of relics in the Middle Ages ............................................................................................................... 5 The Reform Protest ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Relics in the Enlightenment ............................................................................................................................... 8 Reflectionsonthishistoricalsurvey ................................................................................................................. 8 Cult and devotion of saints .................................................................................................................................. 10 The merging of the Eucharistic altar and the tombs of the martyrs ....................................................... 10 Dedication of churches and consecration of altars ...................................................................................... 12 The anthropology of relics .................................................................................................................................. 14

CHAPTER IIACQUISITION AND PROVENANCE OF RELICS IN THE DIOCESE OF MALTA DURING THE BAROQUE PERIOD ......................................................................................................................... 25 The early interest of the Order of St John in relics ....................................................................................... 25 Interest of the parishes and the religious orders in relics in the 17th- and 18th-centuries.................... 25 The inclusion of relics in pastoral visits and their inventories in the Curia archives ......................... 26 Canonical procedures for the authentication of the relics......................................................................... 26 Survey of relics in Malta’s parish churches ..................................................................................................... 28 Mdina cathedral ........................................................................................................................................... 28 St Paul’s collegiate church, Rabat above St Paul’s Grotto .................................................................. 28

iv TREASURES OF FAITH

Parish of Dingli ............................................................................................................................................. 32 ParishofSafi .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Parish of Balzan ............................................................................................................................................ 32 ParishofŻebbuġ ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Parish of Lija .................................................................................................................................................. 35 Valletta: Greek parish church of Our Lady of Damascus ................................................................. 35 Valletta: St Paul Shipwrecked collegiate church .................................................................................. 37 Parish of Vittoriosa....................................................................................................................................... 37 Parish of St George, Qormi ........................................................................................................................ 37 Parish of Gudja .............................................................................................................................................. 37 ParishofŻabbar............................................................................................................................................ 40 Parish of Mosta .............................................................................................................................................. 40 The following section refers to churches of the religious Orders within the diocesan parishes .... 41 Franciscan Capuchins of Kalkara ............................................................................................................ 41 Jesuits’ church, Valletta ............................................................................................................................... 42 St Calcedonius, Floriana ............................................................................................................................ 42 Discalced Carmelites, Cospicua ............................................................................................................... 44 Benedictine nuns of St Scolastica in Vittoriosa ................................................................................... 44 Dominican priory, Rabat ............................................................................................................................ 44 Parish of Kirkop ............................................................................................................................................ 44 ParishofŻurrieq ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 45

CHAPTER IIITHE SOLEMN TRANSLATIONS OF THE HOLY RELICS IN THE DIOCESE OF MALTA DURING THE BAROQUE PERIOD ................................................................... 49 MiraculouseffigyoftheCrucifix(Item1) ........................................................................................................ 52 Translation of the miraculous effigy of the Holy Cross at Mdina cathedral, 1648 ................................ 52 Solemntranslationsofwholegroupsofrelics(Items2to9) ..................................................................... 52 The Benegas corpus of relics, 1609 ................................................................................................................ 52 Ss Acasta and Faustina, Mdina cathedral, 1666 ......................................................................................... 56 St Felix and the head of St Costanza, Mdina cathedral, 1678 ................................................................... 56 Ss Amicus and Concordia, Mdina cathedral, 1684 ..................................................................................... 56 The relics of the Vero Ligno, St Thomas, and St Vincent Ferrer, Rabat Dominican priory ................... 56 St Fabian and St Sebastian, Mdina Cathedral, 1732 .................................................................................. 57 St Fidele and St Joseph, Capuchin Friary, Kalkara, 1747........................................................................... 57 Volto Santo group, Vittoriosa, 1753 ............................................................................................................... 57 RelicsrelatedtoJesusChrist(Items10to14) .................................................................................................. 59 Ex cuna Salvatoris Nostri Jesu Christi, OFM, Valletta (undated) ........................................................... 59 De Vero Ligno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, OFM, Rabat, 1715 ................................................................. 59 De Vero Ligno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, OFM Conv., Rabat, 1719 ...................................................... 59 Ex Spina Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, Mdina cathedral, 1728................................................................... 59 De Vero Ligno, Parish of Qrendi, 1741 ........................................................................................................... 59 RelicsrelatedtotheBlessedVirginMary(Items15to18) ........................................................................... 60 Ex Capillis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, Mdina cathedral, 1715 ....................................................................... 60 Ex Capillis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, OSA, Valletta, Confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation, 1725 ........................................................................................................ 60 Ex Capillis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, Carmelite priory, Mdina, 1733 .......................................................... 60 Ex Capillis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, Parish of Għaxaq (undated) ............................................................. 60 RelicrelatedtoStJoseph(Item19) .................................................................................................................... 61 Ex baculo S. Joseph, OFM, Rabat, 1715 ........................................................................................................ 61

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS v

CorpiSanti(Items20to34) ................................................................................................................................. 61 St Publius, martyr, Mdina cathedral, 1667 .................................................................................................. 61 St Vincent, martyr, Mdina cathedral, 1686 ................................................................................................. 61 St Benignus, martyr, Vittoriosa collegiate church, 1726 ............................................................................ 61 St Liberata, Kalkara Capuchin friary, 1752................................................................................................. 62 St Calcedonius, martyr, Casa Manresa, Floriana, 1753 ............................................................................. 63 St Veneranda, Benedictine nunnery of St Scolastica, Vittoriosa, 1756 ..................................................... 65 St Felicianus, Parish of Żabbar, 1757 ............................................................................................................ 65 St Felix, Rabat Dominican priory, 1760 ....................................................................................................... 69 St Benedetta, Capuchin friary, Floriana, 1763 ............................................................................................ 69 St Innocent, Parish of Mqabba, 1779 ............................................................................................................ 70 St Victorius, Parish of Naxxar, 1787 ............................................................................................................. 70 St Clementina, Parish of Żurrieq, 1788 ........................................................................................................ 73 St Benedict, Parish of Kirkop, 1791 ................................................................................................................ 74 St Consolata, Discalced Carmelite friary, Cospicua, 1794 ........................................................................ 75 St Orade, OFM Conv., Valletta, 1815 ............................................................................................................ 75 Relicsofothersaints(Items35to39) ................................................................................................................ 76 The armbone of St Paul, St Paul’s collegiate church, Rabat, 1621 ............................................................ 76 Ex Ossibus Sancti Pauli, St Paul’s collegiate church, Valletta, 1716 ......................................................... 76 St Francis Xavier, Carmelite priory, Mdina, 1716 ....................................................................................... 77 St Benedict, Monastery of St Peter, Mdina, 1718 ......................................................................................... 77 St Nicholas, Siġġiewi parish church, 1723 ................................................................................................... 77 St Blaise, Żebbuġ, canonical church of the cathedral, 1725 ....................................................................... 77 St John of the Cross, Discalced Carmelites, Cospicua, 1727....................................................................... 79 St Francis of Assisi, OFM, Valletta, 1733 ...................................................................................................... 80 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 80

CHAPTER IVTHE COMMISSION AND MANUFACTURE OF RELIQUARIES ................................................................. 83 Preparatory designs ............................................................................................................................................... 85 Commissions of reliquaries ................................................................................................................................ 85 Payments for reliquaries ...................................................................................................................................... 87 Marks, inscriptions, and coats of arms ............................................................................................................ 90

CHAPTER VTHE TYPOLOGY OF RELIQUARIES IN THE DIOCESE OF MALTA .......................................................... 95 Reliquaries: Historical aspect and typology ................................................................................................... 95 Type 1: Pendant reliquary .................................................................................................................................... 103 Type 2: Phial reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 103 Type 3: Ostensory reliquary................................................................................................................................. 104 Type 4: Vase reliquary ........................................................................................................................................... 108 Type 5: Cruciform reliquary................................................................................................................................ 108 Type 6: Reliquary board ....................................................................................................................................... 109 Type 7: Book reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 110 Type 8: Box reliquary ............................................................................................................................................ 110 Type 9: Lantern reliquary .................................................................................................................................... 111 Type 10: Urn reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 111 Types 11–13: Anthropomorphic reliquaries .................................................................................................... 112 Type 11: The arm reliquary .................................................................................................................................. 112 Type 12: The bust reliquary ................................................................................................................................. 114 Type 13: The statue reliquary .............................................................................................................................. 115

vi TREASURES OF FAITH

Type 14: The architectural reliquary ................................................................................................................. 116 Type 15: The antependium reliquary................................................................................................................ 117 Type 16: The sprinkler reliquary ........................................................................................................................ 117 Type 17: The scannello reliquary ......................................................................................................................... 117 Type 18: The tabernacle reliquary ..................................................................................................................... 118 Type 19: The niche reliquary .............................................................................................................................. 120 Type 20: The document reliquary……………………………………… ............................................................... 120 Type 21: The tabella reliquary………………………………………….. ................................................................. 121

CHAPTER VI PARTICULAR EXAMPLES OF EACH OF THE 21 TYPES OF RELIQUARIES EXTANT IN MALTA . 123 Type 1: Pendant reliquary .................................................................................................................................... 126 Type 2: Phial reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 131 Type 3: Ostensory reliquary ................................................................................................................................ 132 Type 4: Vase reliquary ........................................................................................................................................... 150 Type 5: Cruciform reliquary................................................................................................................................ 152 Type 6: Reliquary board ....................................................................................................................................... 157 Type 7: Book reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 166 Type 8: Box reliquary ............................................................................................................................................ 166 Type 9: Lantern reliquary .................................................................................................................................... 167 Type 10: Urn reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 169 Type 11: Arm reliquary .......................................................................................................................................... 175 Type 12: Bust reliquary.......................................................................................................................................... 179 Type 13: Statue reliquary ...................................................................................................................................... 181 Type 14: Architectural reliquary ........................................................................................................................ 184 Type 15: Sprinkler reliquary ................................................................................................................................ 188 Type 16: Antependium reliquary ....................................................................................................................... 188 Type 17: Scannello reliquary ................................................................................................................................. 188 Type 18: Tabernacle reliquary ............................................................................................................................ 194 Type 19: Niche reliquary ....................................................................................................................................... 195 Type 20: Document reliquary ............................................................................................................................. 198 Type 21: Tabella reliquary .................................................................................................................................... 199

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................. 201

APPENDICES Appendix I: The 1744 inventory of the cathedral church ............................................................................ 203 Appendix II: The 1758 inventory of the cathedral oratory .......................................................................... 205 Appendix III: A study of the 1767 inventory of the cathedral, listing all donors .................................. 205 Appendix IV: Inventory of relics of 12 parishes compiled in 1769 ............................................................. 207 Appendix V: Inventory of relics in 17 parishes compiled during the episcopate of Bishop Sant, 1848–49 ............................................................................................................................... 209 Appendix VI: Ex Cuna Salvatoris NDJC, OFM, Valletta ........................................................................... 212 AppendixVII:CorrespondenceofBailiffLante ........................................................................................... 213 AppendixVIII:InventoryoftheCorpoSantoofStFelicianus,Żabbar ................................................. 214 Appendix IX: Income and expenditure for the Corpo Santo of St Consolata ...................................... 215

GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................................................. 221BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................................. 223INDEX OF NAMES AND PLACES ........................................................................................................................... 225

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS vii

Iwouldliketothankfirstandforemostmysupervisors,Revd.Prof.EmmanuelAgius,deanoftheFacultyofTheology,and Prof. Mario Buhagiar, former head of the department of History of Art, for their prompt, sharp, and scholarly suggestions throughout all the stages of my work. A word of thanks goes also to Revd. Prof. George Grima for his most valid suggestions.

The research behind this thesis, consisting of a relatively wide survey of the relics and reliquaries from the 200-year Baroque period, could in no way be carried out without the constant help of several friends. Among these, Revd. Mgr Aloysius Deguara, the chapter’s former delegate for the Mdina cathedral, deserves special mention for giving me full access to the Cathedral Treasury. Several parish priests and religious members who gave me permission to examine and view artefacts conserved in the treasuries of their respective institutions also have my deepest gratitude.

I would also like to show my gratitude to various local private collectors who were eager to make their reliquary artefacts available to include in this research.

A particular word of appreciation goes to the archival assistant of the Cathedral Archives, Mr Mario Gauci, and the late Revd. Fr Joseph Busuttil, archivist of the Archbishop’s Curia at Floriana for their invaluable help with the archival material in the two respective archival depositories.

Special thanks go to Revd. Mgr John Azzopardi, my predecessor as curator of the Mdina Cathedral Museum and present curator of the Wignacourt Museum at Rabat, for his constant and most valid advice. Mr Anthony Mangion, former librarian of the University of Malta, deserves my gratitude for being instrumental in indicating important sources of information housed at the University of Malta Library. This book would not have been possible without the dedication and meticulous work of Joe P. Borg, photographer, and Louis J. Scerri, copy editor.

Revd. Dr Jesmond Manicaro and Revd. Dr Paul Sciberras, lecturers at the Faculty of Theology of the University ofMalta,proposedpertinent,meticulous,andpunctilioussuggestionsintheirrespectiveacademicfieldsofliturgicaland Biblical expertise at the writing stage of this research project.

The Metropolitan Chapter Mdina, Archbishop’s Curia Floriana, Cathedral Museum Gozo, Collegiate church of Cospicua, Collegiate church of St Paul, Rabat, Collegiate church of Senglea, St Paul Shipwrecked Collegiate, Valletta, Collegiate church of Vittoriosa, Wignacourt Museum Rabat, St Agatha Church Museum Rabat, All soulschurchValletta,Attardparishchurch,Għargħurparishchurch,Kirkopparishchurch,Lijaparishchurch,Luqaparishchurch,Mostaparishchurch,Mqabbaparishchurch,Safiparishchurch,ShrineofOurLadyof

Acknowledgments

viii TREASURES OF FAITH

Mellieha,Siġġiewiparishchurch,Żabbarparishchurch,Żebbuġparishchurch,Żurrieqparishchurch,Capuchinchurches of Floriana and Kalkara, Discalced Carmelite Priory Cospicua, St Dominic Priory Rabat, Monastery of St Catherine Valletta, Monastery of St Margaret Cospicua, Monastery of St Peter Mdina, Confraternity of the CrucifixValletta,Revd.S.Attard,MrandMrsG.Attard,MrJ.GaleaNaudi,MrR.Grech,MrR.Said,MrC.Scerri,Dr C. Vella Zarb, and Mr J. Zammit.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ArchivalAAC Archivium Archiconfraternitatis S. Josephi, RabatAACM Archivium Carmelitanorum MdinaAAM Archivium Archiepiscopale MelitenseACDC Archivium Carmelitanorum Discalceatorum CospicuæACM Archivium Ecclesiæ Cathedralis MelitensisADR Archivium Dominicorum RabatiAIM Archivium Inquisitionis MelitensisAO Acta OriginaliaAOM Archives of the Order of Malta AP Archivia ParœcaliaASA Archivium SanctæAgathæCEM Curia Episcopalis MelitensisMisc. Miscellanea MS ManuscriptNLM National Library MaltaRM Registrum MandatorumT Tomo

Biblical

Ac Acts of the ApostlesCo CorinthiansEph EphesiansGen GenesisIs IsaiahJn JohnK KingsLk LukeMk MarkMt Matthew Rev Revelation

Other

Scudi symbol

SincethefirstcenturiesofChristianity,thecultofsaints,thevenerationoftheirrelics,andthemanufactureofreliquaries have played an important role in the liturgical celebrations of the Church. The story of relics and reliquariesisa2000-yearhistoricalepochoffaith,persecution,andhopereflectedinsomeofthemostbeautifuland sometimes little-known works of art ever made. The veneration of relics and eventually their preservation in reliquaries have been an initiative in which the faithful have engaged themselves in a restless activity teeming with reverence and devotion.

Thisphenomenonhasbaffledsomeandconsoledothers;moreover,relicswereaturningpointinmanysenses.Theuseofrelicsistheresultofanaturalaffectionorinstinctivereverence,areverencetowardstheremainsofthedead as well as the conservation of their personal belongings, a feeling which is both natural and instinctive.

The ancient Christian cult of the relics and the rich and enthralling works of art created to house them is a witness to the need of man to be in contact with the beyond. The art of the reliquary is an art of boxes, caskets, and receptacles housing mysteries. An art of amulets and pendants of elaborate goldsmiths’ and jewellers’ creations made to hold the mortal remnants of the saints and other objects once believed to have touched Jesus Christ himself, the Blessed Virgin, or the saints. It is an art of rich things formed to house the poorest and the most poignant memorials ofmenandwomenrememberedasholy;bones,locksofhair,andscrapsoftheblood-stainedgarmentstheyoncewore during the torments of their martyrdom. Yet, more perhaps than any other Christian art-form, the study of the relics is something neglected and under-appreciated, because it has traditionally been regarded both in Protestant orders and across broad swathes of the modern secular world, with fastidious and morbid distrust.

The bodies and bones of the martyrs were especially precious to the early Christians because they had so little else on which to establish and spread their faith. Long into the middle ages many reliquaries would continue to resemble miniaturized tombs into which the devout might reach out to touch the container housing the saint’s relics. Such objects served not only as a focus for veneration, but were also held to possess miraculous and often healing powers. This phenomenon evolved through the centuries where individuals and whole communities engaged themselvesinafranticactivitytoacquire,transport,andeventuallycreatemagnificentreliquariesveneratedinshrines and churches all over the Christian world.

For many years the theme on relics and reliquaries has captured my attention and the interest on these sacred objects d’arthascompelledmetoseekmoreinformationonthesefineandcuriousartefacts.Myfirstcontributiontowardsthisfieldofarttookplacein1995whenIcontributedinmountinganexhibitionentitled:‘SelectArtisticReliquaries in the Diocese of Malta’ held at the Cathedral Museum, Mdina. In this exhibition were presented a

Introduction

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS ix

veryinterestingandeclecticcollectionof63reliquariesfromdifferentparishes,ecclesiasticentities,andprivatecollections.

Unlike the relics and reliquaries of the Order of St John in Malta, on which there is a lot more information writtenbyauthorsasMgrIsidoroFormosaMontalto(1852–1931)and,morerecently,CharlesOman(1860–1946),David Boswell, and Mario Buhagiar, a comprehensive survey on relics and reliquaries in the diocese of Malta has remainedadesideratum.AlthoughMaltaisveryfertileinthisfieldasinotherworksofart,avacuumcouldbefeltin this regard.

The study on relics and reliquaries in Malta has been sporadically approached in individual articles and essays but concerning only particular relics and reliquaries conserved in some parishes. Since no general analysis has been treated on this theme, it was appropriate to provide a wider spectrum of the presence of relics and reliquaries in the diocese of Malta during the Baroque period.

This book seeks to unfold the evolution of the cult of relics, the historical aspect, and the development of liturgical celebrations. Reference is made to the teaching of the Church through the contribution of the Fathers of the Church and later writers.

The anthropology of relics leads to a closer understanding of the need of the faithful to reach out for divine protection through the intercession of the saints. The imploration to the saints by the early Christians compelled them to seek refuge by being buried close to their tombs, thus feeling assured that the nearer to the saints in burial, the nearer to them they would be in the kingdom of heaven. The anthropology of relics and the popular devotions of the Maltese can be seen with reference to documented facts of healings and prodigies with the intercession of the saints through their relics. Other popular pieties are traced with reference to some local communities participating in particular rituals which are still practised today.

This study analyses the provenance, acquisition, and authentication of relics brought mainly from Rome, as well as the local ecclesiastical procedures allowing these relics to be exposed for public veneration. Here we witness tothegreatactivityofthechurchesandthefaithfultoobtainasmanyrelicsaspossibleandtheeffortsofvariouspersonalities who were instrumental in importing several important relics to Malta.

These relics were honoured with liturgical celebrations and extravagant solemn translations. This book will document ecclesiastical procedures with regards to the rubrics and ceremonial details in these para-liturgical celebrations so that the reader can understand better the great fervour with which these solemn translations were organized. During these festivities, some of which lasted over a week, the churches were fully dressed with reddamask,flowers,andnumerouscandlesrenderingthesightablazeofglory.Thestreetsofthetownsinvolvedwere embellished as on titular festivities with crowds of people enjoying the colourful and noisy celebrations complementedwiththepealingofchurchbells,musicalinstrumentsaccompaniedbychoir-singers,andfireworkdisplays. These mega-celebrations focused around the Baroque feretories hosting the relics of the saint while being carried in procession under red damask canopies followed by long lines of participants, each performing a particular duty. These processions passed under richly decorated triumphal arches installed for the occasion, stopping at variousintervalsinfrontofaltarserectedinthestreetsadornedwithfestoonsoflaurelandflowers.Banners,largeinscriptionswithwell-writtenLatinverseshonouringtheparticularsaintwerefixedinvariousplacesandholycards used to be printed and distributed. The social activity during these festivities of devotion, merriment, and joy are rooted in the culture of the Maltese and is strongly felt today in the local religious feasts dedicated to the patron saints whose relics, along with the titular statues, remain the main protagonists.

This book will present an analysis of all the relics documented in the inventories of the cathedral, ecclesiastical entities, and other ecclesiastical archives in Baroque Malta. This survey on relics and reliquaries treats the well-documented relics as well as analysing particular cherished reliquaries. By listing all the relics of the Baroque era, it gives a clear picture of this great patrimony treasured in our parishes.

Local parishes and other Church entities eagerly commissioned artistic reliquaries to conserve the holy relics withdignity.Reliquariesweremanufacturedindifferentmaterialsandinvariousshapes,whichwillbemadeclearfromtheanalysisofthedifferenttypologiesofreliquariesextantinMaltaand,eventually,theirappreciation.Theauthorhasidentified21differenttypologiesofreliquaries,rangingfrompendanttocruciform,fromurntophial,from anthropomorphic to vase, and so on, while the ostensory reliquary remained as the most common and the predominating example of local reliquary collections. With great satisfaction, the author was able to trace a long-

x TREASURES OF FAITH

losttabernaclereliquarypreviouslyhousedinŻurrieqandwhichwaseventuallyrestoredtoitsoriginalplace.Anotherfindwastheink-and-washbozzetto, from a private collection, used for the Staurotheca of the collegiate churchofCospicuaandtheconfraternityoftheCrucifixinValletta,bothbythesilversmithFrancescoAssenza.HealsoconfirmedthataBohemianeighteenth-centuryphialreliquary,whichwasrecentlyexhibitedasascentbottleconverted into a reliquary, comparing it to an identical artefact conserved in the church of St Agatha in Florence.

Comprehensiveinformationcomplementsthisresearchwiththoroughdataofeachandeveryofthesedifferenttypes of reliquaries. This exercise gives a more complete picture of the great patrimony of these treasures, where the sacred and the profane are intertwined in these wonderful treasures of faith in Malta.In conformity with the title, there are only sporadic and inevitable reference to relics extant on the island before 1600 and after 1798. One must, however, point out that the number of relics in Malta before 1600 was rather small, whereas after 1798 our parishes and churches including those of the religious continued to indulge in acquiring relics.

In conformity with the title, this book is limited to the study to relics and reliquaries in the diocese of Malta, excluding the churches of Gozo.

Although several hundreds of relics are discussed, it was outside the present parameters to compile a complete list of relics and reliquaries during the period 1600–1798. The research was limited to the more important collections and individual relics. This means that a number of old relics in our diocese are not listed.

The Order of St John was a catalyst in the acquisition of relics in Malta. A good number of relics were brought over to Malta after 1530, when the knights settled here, and the activity continued till the end of their stay in 1798. Regarding the relics of St John’s conventual church and those of some other churches of the Order, abundant materialhasalreadybeenpublished(referencesarequotedinthebibliography).Anexceptionhasbeenmaderegarding the earliest documented substantial collection brought over to Malta by the Spanish hermit Juan Benegas de Cordoba in 1608 for St Paul’s Grotto, a church of the Order. In 1961, St Publius church and the underlying grotto became part of the diocese of Malta.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULT OF RELICS xi

INDEX 225

Index of Names and Places

Abbundantia, saint, 14Abel, Martino, benefactor, 214Abela, Felice, carpenter, 214Abela Martino, benefactor, 216Abruzzo, 7Acasta, saint, 28, 51, 56, 203, 207Adaucta, saint, 14Adrianus, saint, 14, 28Agatha, saint, vii, viii, xi, 17, 52, 54, 87, 92, 103, 107,

114, 115, 124, 131, 145, 148, 180Aiutante Grech del Castello S. Angelo, 216Albergato Giovanni, knight benefactor, 215Albert of Trapani, saint, 17, 117Alexander VII, pope, 28, 206Alfano, Vincenzo, canon, 72Algardi Alessandro, sculptor, 81Aloysius, Conzaga, saint, 117, 124, 127, 136, 188Alpheran de Bussan, Paul, bishop, 14, 21, 26, 32,

33, 35, 41, 42, 45, 59, 64, 85, 88, 91, 99, 101, 118, 127, 130, 132, 142, 203, 204, 206

Amalfi, 7Amaseno (Frosinone, Italy), 2Amata, saint, 14Ambrose, saint, 4, 6Amico, saint, 203, 206, 207Andrew, saint, 7, 35, 54, 85, 90, 123Aniceto, saint, 29, 103, 130Anthony of Padua, doctor of the Church, 12Antonio Ruffo, inquisitor, 28, 35, 37, 44, 45, 49, 59,

60, 61, 85, 86, 90, 91, 132, 142, 203, 206, 207Antonius Pius, emperor, 81Apap Vassallo Andrea, canon, 205Archbishop’s Curia, Floriana, 14, 26, 42, 44, 45, 49,

63, 109, 110, 112, 121, 124, 146, 163, 190Arnaud, Francesco, silversmith, 92Arpa, Francesco, silversmith, 92Arrighi, Antonio, sculptor, 121Asciak, Marc Antonio, surgeon on the galleys of

St John, 54Asclepiedius, prefect, 65Assenza Francesco, silversmith, 24, 85, 92, 95, 146,

147Attard Parish church, vii, 54, 92, 124, 126, 127, 144Augustine, saint, 15, 22, 95Aurelius, saint, 28, 88, 115Auriol altar, 11Azzopardi, Angelo, parish priest, 208

Azzopardi, Dominican preacher, 69Azzopardi, Francesco, maestro di cappella, 73Azzopardi, Francesco, parish priest, 74, 75Azzopardi, Francesco, priest, 96Azzopardi, Gaspare, canon, 205Azzopardi, Giuseppe, procurator, 208Azzopardi, Giuseppe Marco, parish priest, 77, 79Azzopardi, Giuseppe Matteo, canon, 12, 28, 29, 33,

35, 37, 45, 49, 52, 60, 61, 85, 206, 207Azzopardi, Isidoro, canon, 77Azzopart, Giacchi, transporter, 216, 220Azzopart, Gioacchino, merchant, 217Azzupard, Erasmo, gilder, 165

Balaguer Camarasa Michele Giovanni, bishop, 52, 213

Baldwin II, emperor, 6Balsani, Giovanni Battista, canon, 79, 80Balzan, Giovanni, dean of the Cathedral, 37Balzan, Giovanni, priest, 216Balzan, 32, 211Barbara Giovanni Maria, parish priest, 33Barbara Gregorio, parish priest, 33Barbara, saint, 21, 22, 32, 33, 41, 42, 115, 153, 175, 222Bari, Basilica of St Nicholas, 121, 224Baron Durelle, benefactor, ix, 217Bartholomew, saint, 54, 73Bartilo, Giuseppe, benefactor, ix, 219Basil of Caesarea, saint, 4Basilio, traditional figure, 123, 139Benedetta, saint, 51, 68, 69, 213, 214Benedetto, saint, 37, 47, 91, 93, 203, 204, 207, 210Benedict XIV, pope, 6, 40, 42, 63, 64, 65, 213Benedict, saint, 26, 28, 44, 51, 56, 59, 74, 75, 77, 92Benegas de Cordoba Juan, Spanish hermit, 29, 32,

51, 52, 54, 76, 85, 103, 109, 110, 113, 114, 128, 130, 153, 164, 175, 176, 179, 180

Benignus, saint, 51, 61, 62, 112Bernini Gian Lorenzo, 9Berti, Giacomo, priest, 59Biagio, saint, 133Bir Miftuħ, 74Birkirkara, 47, 73, 75, 87, 92, 208Blaise, saint, 17, 51, 56, 77, 79, 107, 11, 176, 206, 209Bologna, Carolus, parish priest, 37Bonavia, Giuseppe, master of ceremonies, 73Bonavia, Matteo, ingeniere, 76

Bonavita, Ignatio Saverio, chancellor, 33Bonello, Calcedonio, notary, 205Bonnici, B., Jesuit, 120Bonnici, Carlo, canon, 207Bonnici, Michele, archdeacon, 61Bonnici, Salvatrore, mayor, 73Borg Filippo, merchant, 217Borg Gio Carlo, participant, 67Borg Giuseppe, parish priest, 32Borg Martin, Discalced Carmelite, 44Borg Pasquale, lawyer and judge, 71Bormu Giovanni, benefactor, 216Borromeo, Charles, saint, 117Bosio, Antonio, 8Brandes Michele, silversmith, 35, 88, 92, 104, 135,

136Britto, bailiff, benefactor, 215Bruno, Giovanni, medical doctor, 19Buddha, 1Bueno, Luca, bishop, 14, 28, 56, 85, 203, 206, 207Bugeja ,Samuel, artist/restorer, 81Buhagiar Simon, priest, 33Burmula, 216, 217, 218Busietta Guliermo, maestro/artigiano, 217, 227

Cachia. Giuseppe, priest, 74, 75Cachia Gorda, Maria, benefactress, 219Cafà, Melchiorre, sculptor, 196Cagliares, Balthassare, bishop, 52, 88, 91, 109, 152Cagliares, Beatrice, noble benefactress, 50Cajetan of Thiene, saint, 87Calcedonius, saint, 19, 42, 44, 49, 51, 63, 64, 70, 71,

114, 169, 213, 222, 223Calleja, Gio Carlo, canon, 206, 207Callus, Giuseppe, notary, 33Calvin, John, 7Camenzuli, Ferdinando, procurator, 87Camilleri, Giuseppe, parish priest, 75Camilleri, Lazzaro, Jesuit, 81Camilleri, Pietro, 67Camilleri, Salvatore, goldsmith, 87Camilleri Victor, MSSP, 103, 115Candido, saint, 8Candito, Francesco, gilder, 220Cannataci, Saverio, silversmith, 101, 108, 111Cannaves, Giacomo, bishop, 37, 42, 49, 77, 85, 112,

115, 199, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207

226 TREASURES OF FAITH

Capreci, Vincenzo, archbishop of Thiene, 42Caraffa, Ottavio, cardinal, 28Caravaglio, Calli, benefactor, 215Caria, aiutente della galera, 219Carpegna, Giulio, inquisitor, 37Carpineo, cardinal, 32Caruana, Carmelo, parish priest, 102, 208Caruana, Giacobozzo, benefactor, 216Caruana, Giuseppe, silversmith, 92Caruana, Maria (detta Bittia) benefactress, 216Casha, Calcedonia, benefactress, 216Cassar, Gio Carlo, silversmith, 91, 92Cassar, Giuseppe, priest, 74Cassia Dorell, Elizabetta, marchioness, 40Casisi, Francesco, sculptor, 88Castelletti, Ludovico Maria, canon, 77, 204, 207Castelletti, baron, 99Cathedral Museum, 4, 5, 12, 19, 77, 80, 109, 110, 123,

124, 153, 166, 169, 176, 198, 199, 205, 223, 224Cathedral of Clermont, 114Cathedral of Gozo, 4, 114, 206Catherine of Alexandria, saint, 33, 45, 77, 88, 105,

108, 123, 136, 174, 182, 196, 222Cauchi, Giovanni Antonio, archdeacon, 28, 59,

204Cauchi, Tomaso, canon, 61Cavallini, Pietro, sculptor, 29, 153, 156Cecilia, saint, 54Cesis, Michel Angelo, 32Chasa Salvatore, priest, 215Chircop Muscat, Lorenzo, priest, 74Church of Il Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 114Church of St Agatha, Florence, 124Church of St Augustine, Valletta, 17, 60, 91Church of St Margaret, Cospicua, 65, 66, 90, 91, 115,

142, 122, 190Church of St Mary Magdalene, Rabat, 32, 77, 117Clement, saint, 26, 150, 172, 196Clementina, saint, 51, 73, 74, 209Cocco Palmieri, Davide, bishop, 14, 49, 121, 172,

202, 213Collegium Melitense, 120Cologne, 5, 7Colombus, Christopher, 8Concordia, saint, 28, 51, 56, 203, 206, 207Consolata, saint, 51, 75, 87, 102, 209, 215, 216, 220Constans, saint, 14Constantina, 5Constantinople, 4, 5, 6, 7, 166Conti Giacomo, 123Conventual Church of St John, Valletta, 29, 37, 85,

95, 121, 167Conzaga, Aloysius, saint, 103, 117, 121, 124, 131, 136,

188, 209, Conzaga Ferdinand, duke of mantova, 32, 76, 113Cosmas, saint, 90Cospicua Parish church, 17, 44, 45, 47, 51, 66, 78, 79,

87, 90, 91, 92, 99, 109, 114, 117, 120, 121, 124, 126, 136, 142, 147, 150, 172, 186, 187, 188, 190

Costanza, saint, 28, 206, 207Costanzo, Domina Pulcheria, 32Council of Trent, 201Crispi, Antonio, benefactor, 215Crispiniano, saint, 207, 209Crispino, saint, 207, 209Cubelles Domenico, bishop, 99, 121, 133, 152, 176,

203, 206Cumbo, Isidoro, 52Cumbo, Ugolino Tomaso, knight, 40Cutajar, Vittorio, parish priest, 75

Da Petralia Innocenzo, friar, 52Dal Calambro Francesco, priest, 216Dal Pozzo Bartolomeo, fra, 54Dalli, di, Ludivico, benefactor, 215Damian, saint, 90De Balzano, Signor, 37Dei Doni church, 60De Martino, Felix Maria, capuchin, 41De Martino, Ludovico, (detto Sacci-Pintu)

benefactor, 216De Nicolais, Giovanni Francesco, archbishop of

Myra, 37De Piro, Giuseppe, procurator, 115, 180De Rohan, Emanuel, grandmaster, 21, 35, 40, 72,

73, 74, 127, 136, 145, 155Debor, bailiff, benefactor, 215Decelis, Michele, priest/procurator, 70Decelis, Pietro, juror, 73, 81Decos, Michele, participant, 67dei Conti Sant, Publius Maria, bishop, 26Delicata Pietro, parish priest, 81Depan, bailiff, benefactor, 215Desiderius, saint, 14Di Bartolomeo, Raimondo, prior, 219Di Biagi Giuseppe, (ditto Basili), 216Di Lauron, benefactress, 216Di Maggi, benefactors, 216Dimech Felice, artisan, 87Dimech, Michaelangelo, canon, 73Dingli, Nicola, participant, 67Dingli Parish church, 32Diocesan Museum of Monreale, 114Discalced Carmelite priory Cospicua, viii, 9, 17, 23,

44, 45, 47, 49, 51, 75, 78, 80, 87, 90, 92, 102, 114, 116, 117, 120, 121, 126, 155, 181, 187, 188, 190

Di Nardo, Domenico, sculptor, 114Dominic, saint, 42, 51, 56, 91Don Lorenzo, chaplain, 74Donatus, saint, 32, 113Dorante Nazio, marble-cutter, 220Dorel Peter Paul participant, 67Duomo of Florence, 149Duomo of Turin, 6Duranti, Antonio, maestro marmista, 73Dusina Pietro, inquisitor and apostolic delegate,

25

Egeria, pilgrim, 3, 22Elijah, 9Elisha, 9, 10Ellul, Joseph, medical doctor, 90Eustorgio, saint, 7

Fabian, saint, 51, 57Fagiolo, Felice, carpenter, 219Falson, Domenico, master of ceremonies, 49, 52,

57, 58, 59, 61, 65, 81, 213Falzon, Gio Francesco, canon, 85Falzon, Giovanni Battista, 66Famucelli Ludivico, canon, 28, 49, 56, 81, 203, 222Farrugia, Jimmy, medical doctor and silver

connoisseur, 91, 199Farrugia Maria, benefactress, 102Farrugia Michelangelo, notary, 102Faustina, saint, 28, 51, 56, 203, 207, 209Favray, Antoine, artist, 17, 64Fedele, saint, 51, 108, 151, 207Frederick I, Barbarossa, 7Felice Giovanni Luigi, priest, 41Felice Pietro, maestro, 87, 88Feliciano, saint, 102, 214, 208Felicissima, saint, 14Felix, saint, 14, 19, 28, 32, 44, 51, 56, 69, 87, 182, 222Fenech, Aloysio, silversmith, 92Fenech, Balthassare, benefactor, 41Fenech, Michele, benefactor, 216Fenech, Natalis, priest, 91Fenech, Nicola, benefactor, 215Ferdinand, Franciscan friar, 81Fernandes, Gioacchino, viceroy of Sicily, 33Ferreri Vincent, saint, 51, 56Fiteni George, parish priest, 70, 71, 72, 73, 81Floriana Manresa church, 42, 44, 110, 112, 124, 163,

172, 190Florida, saint, 14Fortunato, saint, 204Fossanova, 8Fournier, Giorgio, participant, 67Fra Gaetano, Discalced Carmelite, 216Fra Gio Paolo, Discalced Carmelite, 75Fra Giuseppangelo di San Chircho, discalced

Carmelite lay brother, 75, 217Fra Puplio, discalced Carmelite, 216, 217

Francis Borgia, saint, 163Francis de Paul, saint, 108, 126, 141Francis of Assisi, saint, 51, 80Francis Xavier, saint, 32, 51, 64, 66, 77, 88, 130, 177,

179Franciscan Minors Rabat, 21, 59

Gafà, Orazio, parish priest, 73Galea Giuseppe, carpenter, 87Gallarate Scotti Gio Filippo, inquisitor, 74Gallone Giovanni Battista, sculptor, 114, 180Garagona, Bartolomeo, artist, 52Gargallo ,Tomaso, bishop, 50, 54 Garsin, Gaspare, canon, 72, 207Gatt, Giovanni, blacksmith, 219Gatt, Michele, gilder, 73Gauci, Paolo Ignazio, count, 67Generosus, saint, 14Geneve, 7George, saint, 37, 82, 114, 180, 201, 202Germany, 7Geremia, saint, 7Gervasius, saint, 4Għargħur parish church, 71, 81, 110, 120, 193Għaxiaq parish church, 23, 60Ghigi, Flavio, cardinal, 28Giammalva, Paolo Vittorio, notary, 33Giovanni Nepomuceno, saint, 121, 199, 207Giusto, Previo, 2Gori-Mancini, Gaspare, bishop, 45Gourgion Adriano, canon, 85Gourgion Pietro, canon, 61, 207Gozo, 19, 50Gravina, Don, knight, 33Grech, Francesco Vincenzo, priest/artist, 87Grech, Francesco, priest, 219Grech, Francis, parish priest, 81Grech, Giovanni Battista, priest, 71Grech, Giovanni, chancellor, 87Grech, Giovanni, notary, 85Grech, Giovanni, printer, 219Grech, Giuseppe, Capuchin friar and carpenter,

96Grech, Pietro Paolo, canon, 57Grech, Vincenzo, Dominican, 69 Greeks’ Gate, 54Gregory III, pope, Gregory of Nazianzum, saint, 4, 22Gregory of Nyssa, saint, 3, 4Gregory the Great, saint, 4, 22, 23Grillett, Gio Mattia, canon, 205Grima, Giuseppe, surgeon, 37, 71, 72Grioli, Caterina, nun, 102, 208, 214, 215Gudja parish church, 37, 40, 92, 208Guttenberg, Wolfgang, knight, 50

Herod Agrippa, king, 3Hophel, 3

Ignatius of Loyola, saint, 42, 114, 120, 163, 179, 198Inguanez, Marc’Antonio, baron, 67Innocent, saint, 14, 51, 70, 102, 151, 184, 190, 196, 203,

204, 206, 210Innocent VIII, pope, 6Iucundus, saint, 190

Jacobo da Varagine, 7James of Alphaeus, saint, 3James the Major, saint, 3, 113Januarius, saint, 2, 114, 22Jesuits’ church Seville Spain, 117, 188Joachim, saint, 72, 117, 205, 209, 210John of God, saint, 150John of the Cross, saint, 44, 45, 47, 51, 78, 79, 108,

123, 141John the Baptist, saint, 8, 54, 126John the Evangelist, saint, 33, 35, 57, 70, 88Joseph II, emperor, 8Joseph of Arimathea, 2Joseph, saint, 9, 21, 23, 50, 51, 57, 61, 88, 120, 121, 136,

202, 209, 210, 211, 212Justin, saint, 14, 114, 177, 179

INDEX 227

Kalkara Capuchin’s church, 41, 51, 57, 62Kao Tsu, emperor, 1Kirkop parish, 44, 45, 49, 51, 74, 81

La Corte Paias Salvatore, priest/sculptor, 74, 87, 216, 217, 218

La Porta Michele, carpenter, 88Labini, Vincenzo, bishop, 40, 41, 45, 70, 71, 72, 73,

74, 75, 118, 121, 127, 151, 183, 206Laferla, Emanuele, printer, 93Laferla, Saverio, sculptor, 118Lante, Antonio, inquisitor, 207Lante delle Rovere, bailiff, 70, 213Lateran Basilica, 2, 8, 23Lawrence, saint, 2, 29, 37, 51, 57, 61, 62, 70, 103, 113,

116, 126, 130, 151, 157, 172, 185, 186Lebrun, Giovanni, silversmith, 92Leo IV, pope, 95Leocata Hieronimus, vicar general Dominicans,

42Leriberti Nicolò, abbè, 207Lija parish church, 14, 17, 35, 37, 45,85, 88, 105, 107,

134, 143, 192Liberata, saint, 8, 41, 42, 52, 62, 209, 210Liborius, saint, 17Lilinius, saint, 35Lonofrore Vincenzo, wood carver, 220Louis IX, saint, 6Luca Bueno, bishop, 14, 28, 56, 85, 203, 206Lucius, saint, 32, 153Lucy, saint, 7, 17, 114, 115, 180Luke, saint, 49, 50, 54, 80Luqa parish church, 90, 91, 92

Madiona, Saverio, benefactor, 216Magi, Enrico, Medical doctor, 19Magi, 7, 9Magna Curia Castellaniæ, 224Magri, Salvatore, priest/procurator, 118Magro, Angelo, maestro della dogana, 216, 217Magro, Salvatore, priest, 40Mamo, Cleardo, parish priest, 60Mamo, Gian Luca, notary, 52Mancinforte, Giovanni, inquisitor, 70Mangion, Nicola, priest, 74Manno, Vincenzo, artist, 87Marchesi, Saverio, count, 215Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi, saint, 108, 123, 163,

141, 211, 212Marquis Mondolfo, benefactor, 217Marsiglia, Andrea, canon, 60Martin, Franciscan friar, 44Martin, saint, 90, 150Mary Magdalene, saint, 32, 57, 77, 108, 117, 123, 124,

141, 153Massa Callus, Giuseppe, priest, 44, 74Massa Pietro, silversmith, 85Master Guardian Schembri, 76Mastro Giovanni, printer, 217, 219Mastro Ignazio, 220Matthew, saint, 54, 65Mattia di San Francesco, general, 44Mauritius, emperor, 5Maximus, saint, 12Mdina Cathedral/Treasury, 12, 14, 25, 26, 28, 49, 50,

51, 52, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 87, 88, 91, 96, 99, 101, 103, 104, 107, 109, 110, 112, 113, 116, 120, 121, 123, 126, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, 152, 153, 166, 167, 169, 172, 176, 184, 190, 198, 199, 203, 205, 223

Mehmed II, sultan, 6Meli, Saverio, silversmith, 92, 155Mellieħa, 32, 35, 49, 50, 83, 209Mendes Vascancellos Luis, Grand Master, 26, 28,

203, 207Menville, Albino, grand prior, 37Menvile, Raimondo, grand prior, 74Mercieca, Joseph, archbishop emeritus, 121Mġarr, 9Micallef, Giuseppe, silversmith, 92, 136Micallef, Giuseppe, parish priest, 71, 81Micallef, Salvatore, priest, 143Mifsud, Giuseppa, servant, 102

Mifsud, Giuseppe, dominican, 44, 69Mifsud, Saverio, inquisitor’s secretary, 66Molina, Michele Gerolamo, bishop, 28, 56, 112, 121,

172, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207, 213, 222Mollo, Antonio, silversmith, 114, 179Monastero della Maddalena, 216Monastero di Santa Scolastica, 37, 44, 59, 61, 62, 65,

133, 184, 216, Mondion, Francoise, architect, 93Montagna, Pasquale, capo maestro, 87, 88Monte della Pietà, 215Montemagnani, Giovanni, canon, 28, 61Mosta parish church, 40, 41, 92, 115, 208Mqabba, 17, 26, 51, 70, 81, 102Muscat, Antonio, priest, 40, 214Muscat, Gio Carlo, canon, 203, 204, 206, 207Muscat, Gio Filippo, canon, 203, 206, 207Muscat, Giuseppe, master of ceremonies, 49Muscat, Saverio, jeweller, 102Muscati, Giuseppe, 87Naples (Italy), 2, 3, 32, 52, 54, 85Naxxar parish church, 9, 11, 14, 17, 23, 49, 51, 70, 71,

72, 73, 81, 91, 92, 120, 208Negroponte Innocent, capuchin, 41Nicholas of Bari, saint, 74, 77, 103, 139Nicolaus, viceroy of Sicily, 50Notre Dame de Paris, 6

Ompale, bailiff, benefactor, 215Onophrius a San Jacobo, discalced Carmelite, 44Orade, saint, 51, 75, 76Order of St John, 25, 26, 28, 33, 52, 54, 93, 117, 136,

186Orland, Giovanni, benefactor, 216Ospidagliera del Ott, benefactress, 216

Pace, Giuseppe, priest, 74Pacheco, Juan Gaspar Bapista Fernando, Marquis

de Vilhena, 32Paciaudi, writer, 166Pacifico, saint, 210Palladius, bishop, 23Palmier, Vincenzo, benefactor, 215Passari. Francis Xavier, 32Patita, Lorenzo, benefactor, 216Paul V, pope, 29, 54, 103, 109, 130, 133, 221Paul, saint, 29, 32, 37, 45, 51, 54, 60, 64, 67, 69, 72, 76,

77, 85, 87, 88, 90, 92, 96, 99, 101, 103, 108, 109, 111, 113, 114, 118, 120, 123, 124, 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 137, 141, 143, 145, 150, 153, 156, 165, 166, 168, 175, 176, 179, 180, 184, 201, 201, 202, 205, 206, 207

Pellerano, Giovanni, bishop, 45, 47, 70, 118, 120, 121, 124, 147, 153, 159, 160

Perdon, Carlo, medical doctor, 19Perellos, Ramon, Grand Master, 21, 33, 179Peter, saint, 3, 8, 9, 10, 22, 28, 29, 32, 54, 69, 76, 77,

85, 88, 99, 101, 103, 114, 130, 132, 136, 168, 201, 206, 207

Petralia, Innocenzo, franciscan friar, 52, 111Philip Neri, saint, 74, 75, 203, 204, 208, 209, 210Philip of Agira, 32, 33, 51, 134, 135Pinto, Emanuel, Grand Master, 35, 111, 128, 146, 147,

153, 159, 168Pius VI, pope, 44, 74Pius, saint, 9, 115, 151, 183Placido, saint, 206Platta, bailiff, benefactor, 215Polycarp of Smyrna, saint, 3, 11, 22, 23, 95Pontius Pilate, 2Porphyrus, saint, 121Porta Portuensis, 32Portelli, Felice, priest, 67Portelli, Ignazio carpenter, 88Porto Salvo church, 54Portughes Albino, 26Pretexto Cemetery Rome, 65Preti, Mattia, artist, 123, 139, 205Preziosi, Conte, benefactor, 216Preziosi, count and secretary of the grand master,

67Preziosi Giuseppe, canon, 207, 216Procathumenas, Nicola, 35

Protasius, saint, 4, 22Protopsalti, Francesco, priest/silversmith, 87, 88,

92, 107, 108, 135Publius, saint, 28, 29, 51, 61, 64, 85, 114, 169, 206, 221Pulis, Filippo, benefactor, 214

Qormi parish church, 9, 14, 37, 92, 105Qrendi parish church, 51, 59

Rabat, St Dominic’s church, 9, 23, 51, 56, 67, 69, 182Rabat, St Paul’s parish/grotto, xi, 28, 29, 32, 49, 54,

56, 76, 103, 113, 114, 165Raymond, saint, 17Re, Anton, priest, 81Rizzo, bailiff, benefactor, 215Rhodes, 25, 29, 35, 110Rigaud, Francesco, silversmith, 92Rohan, Emanuel, Grand Master, 21, 35, 40, 72, 73,

74, 127, 136, 145, 155Rome, x, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 17, 26, 28, 32, 33, 37, 41, 42, 44,

45, 65, 69, 70, 74, 75, 76, 85, 95, 96, 108, 110, 151, 157, 201, 213

Romirez, Maldonato Eugenio, governor of Gozo, 114

Roque, saint, 17Rosalia, saint, 17, 115, 151, 199, 207, 211Rossignoli, Francesco, director of Manresa retreat

house, 42, 63, 64Ruffo, Antonio, inquisitor, 28, 35, 37, 44, 45, 49, 59,

60, 61, 85, 88, 90, 91, 132, 142, 203, 206, 207Rull, Bartholomew, bishop, 45, 47, 85, 87, 93, 118,

120, 121, 128, 159, 199, 205, 206, 207Sacchi Andrea, artist, 4, 5Safi parish church, vii, 32, 75, 120, 121, 194, 202, 212Sagnani, Giovanni Battista, parish priest, 33, 87Sagona, Paolo, gilder, 88Saliba, Giuseppe, silversmith, 82Saliba, Mario, notary, 28Saliba, Michaelangelo, notary, 102Salvaloco-Debono, clerics, 67Salviati, Gregorio, inquisitor, 40, 65Sammut, Giusto, priest, 33San Alessandro church, Rome, 11San Calcedonius Cemetery, Rome, 70, 71San Callixtus Cemetery, Rome, 32, 41, 44, 69, 76San Francesco a Ripa, Rome, 96St Lawrence Cemetery, Rome, 70San Marcellus Cemetery, Rome, 28San Martino ai Monti, Rome, 8Sanmartino, maestro di cappella, benefactor, 216San Salvatore, Rome, 28St Sebastian Cemetery, Rome, 33Sant, Baldassare, partecipant, 67Santa Ciriaca Cemetery, Rome, 28, 40, 73Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome, 116, 184Santa Maria tal-Virtù, Rabat, 21, 61Santa Priscilla Cemetery, Rome, 28 40Sanzio, Raffaello, artist, 105, 107Sapiano, Andrea, silversmith, 92 145Saqqajja Hill, Rabat, 52, 60Savoye, Ludovico, canon, 206Scerri Zammit, Salvatore, canon, 75Schach l’Ehfar, 75Schembri, Maruzzo, silversmith, 92Schembri, Paolo, silversmith, 92Sciberras, Domenico, archdeacon, 62Sciberras, Matteo, canon, 52Sciberra,s Pasquale, baron, 73Seguna, Giuseppe, priest, 65Senglea parish church, 9, 37, 59, 64, 73, 74, 87, 96,

99, 211Sicily, 26, 50, 52, 54, 115, 180Siġġiewi parish church, viii, 9, 12, 14, 51, 59, 77, 115,

120, 123, 139, 151, 183Signor Palmo, silversmith, 217Signor Sebastiano, architect, 217Sinforianus, saint, 37Sixtus V, pope, 23Spada, Filippo Carlo, archbishop of Teodosia in

Zechia, 45Spiteri, Agostino, benefector, 216Spiteri, Giuseppe, benefactor, 215

228 TREASURES OF FAITH

Spiteri, Maria, benefactress, 215St Agatha Church, Florence, xi, 52, 124St Agatha Museum Rabat, vii, 92, 103, 107, 114, 131,

148, 180St Publius Church, Rabat, xi 114Stephen, saint, 2Sulpitius, saint, 32, 113, 176Ta’ Strina, 35Tal-Ħerba, 92Tanti, Anna, 33, 35Tanti, Antonio, blacksmith, 73Tarxien, 92, 212Testaferrata Antonio, canon, 112, 169, 203, 206, 207Testaferrata, baron, 67Testaferrata, Mandolfo, benefactor, 217Teuma, Rosina, benefactress, 216Thei Alessandro, priest, 72, 73, 205Theocristes, saint, 35Theodore, saint, 4, 33, 35, 88, 182Therese of Avila, doctor of the Church, 44, 47, 79,

90, 108, 116, 123, 141, 186Therese of Lisieux, saint, 75Theuma Giovanni Battista, canon, 59, 91, 207Tholossenti Giovanni Battista, priest, 79Thomas Becket, saint, 5Thomas of Aquinas, doctor of the Church, 8, 95,

127, 205Tislebas, saint, 35Tomasi da Lampedusa, Giuseppe Maria, saint, 8Tommasi, bailiff, benefactor, 215Tonna Gio Battista, canon, 69, 205, 207Tonna Giovanni, priest/sacristan, 67Troisi Pietro Paolo, master of the mint, 88, 118Turin, 6, 12

Umberto II, king, 6Ursula, saint, 114, 121, 216

Valentinus, saint, 14, 28Valletta church of Our Lady of Damascus, 35Valletta Confraternity of the Holy Crucifix, 37, 79, 85,

109, 117, 146Valletta Jesuits church, 14, 42, 99, 101, 115, 117, 120,

126, 163, 179, 188, 198, 213Valletta St Paul Shipwrecked collegiate church, vii,

37, 45, 51, 67, 76, 77, 87, 90, 92, 96, 99, 101, 108, 111, 114, 118, 124, 134, 141, 143, 145, 150, 153, 165, 166, 168, 179

Varagine, da, Jacobo, 7Vasconcellos, Mendes Luis, Grand Master, 26,

28, 207Vassallo, Giacomo, priest, 33Vatican, 6, 8, 9, 22, 37Vella, Francesco, silversmith, 92Vella, Grezzio, benefactor, 216Vella, Thomas, notary, 87Veneranda, saint, 14, 44, 51, 65, 81, 209, 211Venetians, 6, 7Veneziano, Antonio, benefactor, 217Venusta, saint, 14Vervano, Maruzzo, silversmith, 87Via Tiburtina, Rome, 40Viani, Petrus, prior, 90Victor/Victorius, saint, 9, 11, 17, 37, 51, 70Victoria, saint, 8, 14, 37Vittoriosa parish church, vii, 23, 37, 41, 44, 49, 51, 57,

58, 59, 61, 62, 65, 69, 116, 118, 126, 151, 157, 172, 185, 186, 208, 209, 211, 216

Vilhena Manoel, Grand Master, 33, 88, 135, 142Villeneuve, Bailiff, 90, 116, 186Villiers de l’Isle Adam Philippe, Grand Master, Vincent/Vincentius, saint, 14, 29, 51, 56, 61, 103,

130, 172, 207, 210, 211Vivier Antonio, dominican, 42

Wied Qirda, 88Wignacourt, Alof, Grand Master, 29, 50, 54, 76Wignacourt Museum Rabat, viii, 17, 29, 32, 49, 117,

124, 130, 192Wisinch, Giacchino, maestro, 165

Xara, baron, 67Xara, Antonio, chaplain of the conventual

church, 42Xuereb, Giovanni, archpriest, 73, 75

Yaro, Vincenzo, lawyer, 208

Żabbar, viii, 40, 51, 65, 66, 67, 92, 95, 102, 104, 207, 208, 214, 215

Zahra, Gaetano, silversmith, 92Zahra, Paolo and Felice, sacristans, 67Zammit, Andrea, procurator, 88Zammit Ellul, Michael, priest, 45, 74, 75Zammit, Francesco, capomastro, 219Zammit, Giovanni, maestro, 88Zammit, Giuseppe, priest, 81Zammit, Mudesta, benefactress, 216Zammit, Stefano, priest/procurator, 118Zammit, Vincenzo, priest, 74Zarb, Emanuele, priest, 74Żebbuġ parish church, viii, 14, 32, 33, 35, 44, 47, 49,

51, 74, 77, 79, 87, 88, 92, 93, 104, 107, 108, 117, 118, 135, 136, 137, 182

Żurrieq parish church, vii, xi, 14, 17, 23, 45, 47, 49, 51, 70, 73, 81, 88, 98, 105, 108, 115, 118, 121

This beautifully illustrated volume examines the cult of sacred relics in Baroque Malta in greater depth than ever before. It traces the or-igins of relic veneration and their arrival to Malta with the Knights of the Order of St John. The book discusses the importance of the reliquaries as an artistic expression of devotion to the holy remains, and the cult they instilled in the community that felt the need to reach to the divine in moments of great turbu-lence.