First, there was the Cathedral of Mdina, followed by the church in Birgu. Then, in 1436, 10 new parishes were born.
We attribute Christianity in Malta to St Paul’s shipwreck on the island on 10th February 60 AD. But did you know that the first official recognition of the first ten parishes of Malta dates only to 1436?
It was during a pastoral visit by Bishop of Malta Senatore de Mello (most of the previous ones never even set foot on the island) that Malta’s parishes were first recorded. The major churches recognised until then had been the Cathedral at Mdina and the Church of San Lorenzo a Mare at Birgu. This new list of ten chapels indicated the places where there was a substantial religious community, thereby constituting the first parishes.
Introducing the first 12 parishes of Malta
So which parish communities were the seeds of the Malta we know today? As of 2019, there are no less than 68 local councils in Malta and Gozo, and 359 churches! Back then though, there were only Mdina, Birgu and ten more that were noteworthy.
1. Mdina
Mdina was the old capital of Malta, and therein was the main church for the whole island: the Mdina Cathedral, dedicated to St Paul himself. With Mdina's own church serving the whole island, La Cappella di San Paolo de Fora (St Paul’s Grotto) in Rabat was the local parish church of both Rabat and Mdina together. Fun fact: Despite their earliest beginnings, Rabat and Mdina only became two distinct parishes in 1902.
2. Birgu
Birgu was also an early settlement, and the Church of San Lorenzo a Mare was considered the one other major church in Malta further south. Until 1436, all others were referred to as chapels. With the islands' population as meagre as it was at the time, it's not surprising, really. In fact, both Dingli and Mellieha's churches mentioned below, both in de Mello's list, had moments when they became so sparsely populated that they were withdrawn, only to be reinstated at a later stage.
3. Dingli
Dingli was mentioned as Hal Tartani - later merging two villages to become Dingli - and the church was dedicated to Santa Domenica. The current church is dedicated to St Mary.
4. Mellieha
Mellieha’s church, on the other hand, is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin. The locals here went on to prove themselves by becoming personally involved in the building of the present parish church in the late 19th century.
5. Naxxar
Naxxar was one of the earliest well-established parishes, with its community known to have hosted St Paul after his shipwreck. Mellieha fell under Naxxar when it was withdrawn from being a parish, until it was reinstated; Mosta and Gharghur also fell within the parish of Naxxar. Like Mellieha, the church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin. The present church was built between 1616-1630 when there were 1,200 inhabitants.
6. Birkirkara
The first parish of Birkirkara, not too far off from Naxxar, was dedicated to St Helen. This is now Malta’s largest town and includes more than one parish serving the very large population. Many churches have been built, demolished and rebuilt through the years. Today, the Church of St Helen has the status of a Basilica.
7. Zebbug
Also in the de Mello Rollo we find the parish of Zebbug, dedicated to Saint Philip of Aggira. The present church was built between 1599-1632.
8. Qormi
Qormi, like Birkirkara, has grown to have more than one parish. In fact, the rivalry between the original parish dedicated to St George and the latter dedicated to St Sebastian is well-known throughout the island! This rivalry merely adds additional fervour during the village festa dedicated to each saint.
9. Siggiewi
In Siggiewi, the parish is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari. The present church was built between 1675-1693. As you may note, many of the churches took several decades to build, their palace-like stature indicative of the grandeur brought to the islands by the Knights of Malta.
10. Zejtun
Both the parishes of Zejtun and Zurrieq are dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Zejtun's church took almost a century to complete, from 1692 until 1778!
11. Zurrieq
Zurrieq's present Church dedicated to St Catherine was built before it, taking 25 years to complete between 1633-1658.
12. Gudja
The final parish in the list of ten parishes described in the de Mello Rollo was that of Bir Miftuh, now known as Gudja. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. This one was completed in just ten years, between 1656 and 1666.
Despite the rather late date of 1436 for the first official recognition of the parishes, many religious orders were already established before that time. The Augustinians, the Benedictines, the Dominicans, the Carmelites and the Franciscans had already settled in Malta prior to this cardinal visit, and Christian life within the community was already forging the beginnings of the religious-socio-cultural traditions still alive today.
The church as the heart of the Maltese community
Indeed, imagine Malta in the days when there was not much to see and do in terms of entertainment. Moreover, travel around the island was restricted to horse and carriage, or simply walking. People might rarely leave their village, if at all, and nobody really wanted to live an endlessly boring life, right?
These two factors offer some hint as to how the socio-cultural role of parishes evolved in the early days: the festa, the brass band, the making of decorations and fireworks simply brought the community together and gave them something to do with a higher, benevolent intention.
This was prominent to such an extent that, even today, the parish church still represents the heart of the community or the heart of the village. It is vividly represented by the imposing presence of the main churches of Malta, even in parishes that emerged much after the Rollo de Mello of 1436.