The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady (or the Mosta Dome, to you and me), is an iconic piece of local architecture, and boasting one of the world’s largest unsupported domes, is the central town’s most popular attraction.
Still, while it’s so central to Mosta’s identity today, it hasn’t always been around! It has been a while though, with the first church to be built on the spot being a much smaller version in 1614. But, with Mosta’s growing population, that church eventually became too small, prompting Giorgio Grognet de Vasse to propose a new (and much larger) neoclassical version, with a design based on the Pantheon in Rome.
The design was approved in 1833, but construction took an impressive 28 years, with the new church finally reaching completion in the early 1860s. This rare image of the Mosta dome while it was being built forms part of the Gennadius Melitensia collection in Athens, and was published in a recent book featuring mid-19th century photos of Malta from the scrapbooks of distinguished diplomat Joannes Gennadius.
While locals and visitors to Mosta have grown used to its imposing church, it’s not every day that we get an insight into the process behind its build! And the best part? It really is the people’s church, with Mosta residents having helped in its construction on Sundays and public holidays! It’s no wonder it remains so close to their hearts!