Local photographer Jean-Paul Borg has made it his mission to shed light on Maltese tradition, culture and history through his photography project Kappa Vision, and we love browsing through his feed for some of the best shots of our beloved islands.

Something about his latest post though, made us stop and take notice. Featuring Senglea’s church dedicated to St Julian (or San Giljan, in Maltese), the photographer notes that it is the first building to be constructed in the city, with its original structure dating back to 1311.

Having since been rebuilt twice (first in 1539 and again in 1712), the current church was designed by Maltese Baroque architect and sculptor Lorenzo Gafa and features the coat of arms of Bishop Davide Cocco Palmeri. 

The sacristy and belfry have also been rebuilt, with the designs you see today coming from Senglea-born Francesco Azzopardi, with the original belfry being pulled down in 1998.

That’s quite the story for such a humble-looking building!