Mason and Stone Carver
Michele, the son of Giorgio Casanova and Andreane née Burlo was born in Senglea. Michele was the great-grandfather of artist Francesco Zahra*. He was employed as a stone mason in the construction of fortifications by the Order of St John and was involved in the carvings decorating the walls of the Conventual church.
On February 1645 Michele and another thirty-four workers were entrusted with the construction work on the glacis of the bastions from the main city gate of Valletta towards Marsamxett Harbour.
On 31 May of the same year Michele Casanova, together with seven other builders, was engaged to construct defence works on the bastions: parapets, embrasures in parapets, and ramparts in Birgu near Castile Point.
In 1650 Michele Casanova travelled to Syracuse to construct the chapel of the Holy Eucharist in the Cathedral.
In 1652 he and his sons, Damiano and Antonio together with Melchiorre Gafà* were entrusted with its stone decorations. He and his sons Antonio, Vincenzo*, and Giuseppe Casanova were all involved in decorating with carvings the Dominican church of Valletta and the parish church of Luqa.
On 16 June 1653, Michele Casanova, agreed with Aloisetta Servillo to build and carve an ornamental moulding in the chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Senglea parish church, while in 1660 he carved the side-walls of the chapel dedicated to St Catherine belonging to the Langue of Italy at St John’s.
Between 1677 and 1679, Vincenzo and Antonio worked on the stone carvings in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the church of Santa Maria del Gesù in Valletta. The reredos around the main altarpiece of the parish church of St Bartholomew at Għargħur resulted from the collaboration between Vincenzo and Antonio. In 1699 Vincenzo worked in the Jesuit College and in the Oratory in Valletta.
Michele Casanova married Maria Gatt in the church of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta, on 25 April 1621. Agostina, the daughter of Vincenzo Casanova married the sculptor Pietro Paolo Zahra* on 8 August 1706 and was the mother of the renowned painter Francesco Vincenzo Zahra*
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.