Ta’ Liesse: Malta’s Waterfront Shrine for Mariners
Miller Distributors, 2020

This lavishly illustrated volume, which gathers together a collection of essays, is the dernier cri on the Ta’ Liesse church, a small building that many of us drive by on our exit from Valletta.

Erected by the French Knights, and dedicated to Our Lady of Liesse – a devotion originating in Picardie, France, and exclusively tied to the Order of Malta – the church is located right by the harbour. This would have been the first significant religious building for sea travel­lers to encounter on their arrival, or indeed departure, on a sea journey.

The indefatigable Daniel Cilia, who shot most of the photographs with which this book is so beautifully illustrated, and who also laid out the publication, enables the proper appreciation of the siting and beauty of this church.

The illustrations are perfectly placed to correspond with the text, which makes it easier for the reader to refer to the visual sources cited. This might sound obvious but it doesn’t always occur in illustrated publications.

Nicholas J. Doublet opens with an essay that delves into the origins of the cult of Our Lady of Liesse in France and then in Malta, examining the statuary and legacies left to the Maltese Church.

Giovanni Bonello, who also edited the publication, reconstructs the hazy origins and architectural evolution from the original 1620 building, to the rebuilding in 1741 (and further changes after World War II) by drawing on early 17th century visual and documentary sources. The connection with the great architect Andrea Belli, a favourite of Bonello, who has attributed other buildings to him, is underlined.

Listing the most important and relevant travellers’ accounts and contemporary writings, Thomas Freller provides a multi-faceted picture of how central this church was to mariners, voyagers and their contemporaries.

Stepping outside the church itself, Christian Mifsud and Mevrick Spiteri give a comprehensive account of the changes that occurred in the harbour environs through the centuries, in the immediate vicinity of the Ta’ Liesse church, enabling a better interpretation of how central this church was to the pulsating life and commerce in the area.

A truly exhaustive monograph on the church of Ta’ Liesse

Art historian Theresa Vella compares the typology of the various extant series of paintings in Malta (and some which made their way abroad) which recount the legend of Our Lady of Liesse. This exhaustive list is a monograph in itself and is complemented by the subsequent study of drawings that depict the legend of Liesse, compiled by Roger de Gaetano, who also proposes some new attributions to Mattia Preti.

Both essays have been thoroughly illustrated, allowing the reader to understand the connections and comparisons made by the authors and lea­ving some leeway for further interpretation and discussion, especially as to the authorship of the works.

A rainbow above the church.

Conservator Amy Sciberras brings a measure of objective science and hands-on work to the mix. She reports on the professional conservation work that she undertook over the course of two years on the church’s titular painting by Enrico Regnaud. This painting was in a very precarious state of conservation, but is now saved for posterity thanks to her interventions.

Another painting adorning the church, by the nebulous Sicilian artist Giulio Cassarino, is assessed from the art histori­cal point of view by Eric Fenech Sevasta. He has studied the artist through his few known works and in the face of very little documentary evidence, some of which he was able to uncover himself.

Campanologist and conservator Kenneth Cauchi provides an interesting potted history of bells and bell founding in Malta, and then homes in on the five early 19th century bells of the Ta’ Liesse church. He discusses the dating and authorship of each bell as well as the physical characteristics in fascinating detail.

And finally the focus shifts to France, where the cult of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse started in the similarly named village, in the 12th century. Carmen Depasquale, professor of French literature, who has studied French culture extensively, is well placed to chart the near-millennial history of this pilgrimage site, visited by royalty through the centuries, as well as the dispersion of this cult, which she outlines in her contribution to the book. An index of proper names is included.

In summary, this volume is a truly exhaustive monograph on the church of Ta’ Liesse. Every possible angle that could have been explored has been thoroughly looked into, and any student of architecture, art or history interested in Ta’ Liesse church, its environs and its cult has it all neatly bound in this volume.

As John Sullivan, for long a leading light in the maritime business community, explains in his foreword, the impetus for this book was to assist in the much-needed restoration of the historic artefacts at the church of Ta’ Liesse.

All proceeds from book sales will go towards this worthy cause. Another good reason ‒ if any more were needed ‒ to acquire it.