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 Santwarju Bazilika ta' Santa Marija — Mosta, Malta Posted by:  prussel
N 35° 54.597 E 014° 25.550
33S E 448193 N 3974112
The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady (Maltese: Santwarju Bazilika ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta, is a Roman Catholic parish church and Minor Basilica in Mosta, Malta
Waymark Code: WM13APY
Location: Malta
Date Posted: 10/27/2020
Views: 3
The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady (Maltese: Santwarju Bazilika ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta (Maltese: Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta) or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church and Minor Basilica in Mosta, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built between 1833 and the 1860s by Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, on the site of an earlier Renaissance church which had been built in around 1614 to designs of Tommaso Dingli.
The Rotunda of Mosta is built in the neoclassical style and its structure is based on the Pantheon in Rome. Its façade has a portico with six Ionic columns, which is flanked by two bell towers. Being a rotunda, the church has a circular plan with walls about 9.1 m (30 ft) thick supporting a dome with an internal diameter of 37.2 m (122 ft) making it third largest unsupported dome in the world and Malta's largest and most famous church. The church's interior contains eight niches, including a bay containing the main entrance and a deep apse with the main altar.
The rotunda took 28 years to build, being completed in the early 1860s. The old church was demolished in 1860, and the new church did not need to be consecrated since the site had remained a place of worship throughout the course of construction. The church was officially dedicated on 15 October 1871. On the 12 December 1973 Pope Paul VI, issued a decree of canonical coronation of the titular painting of Our Lady of the Assumption and therefore elevating the church to the title of Marian Sanctuary. In 2015, the parish requested to the Vatican to be reclassified to the status of a basilica. The church was elevated to a minor basilica on 29 July 2018 by decree of Pope Francis.
During World War II, the town of Mosta was prone to aerial bombardment due to its proximity to the airfield of RAF Ta Kali. At about 16:40 on 9 April 1942, the Luftwaffe dropped three bombs on the church, and two of them deflected without exploding. However, one 500 kg high explosive bomb pierced the dome and entered the church, where a congregation of more than 300 people was awaiting early evening mass. The bomb did not explode, and a Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal unit defused it and dumped it into the sea off the west coast of Malta. This event was interpreted as a miracle by the inhabitants, and a similar bomb is now displayed in the sacristy at the back of the church, under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 (meaning "The Bomb Miracle, 9 April 1942").
from: Il-Parrocca tal-Mosta, wikipedia
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 05/30/1833
Age of Church building determined by?: Church website
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Roman Catholic
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 9:30 AM To: 5:00 PM
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM
Street address of Church:
1, Triq il-Bażilika
Il-Mosta, Malta
MST 2015
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
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