Victor Sammut: A Legacy of Church Builders
The author, Malta 2020, €15.

Victor Sammut’s chronicle of his family emphasises its involvement with the Church’s heritage in Malta – not only in the physical architectural sense but also in its spiritual one, since quite a few of them opted to serve as missionaries in faraway lands.

It all started with Antonio Sammut (1867-1949). Affectionately known as Iċ-Ċirwiel, he was a well-known master mason involved in the building of, among others, the iconic Villa Apap at St George’s Bay, better known as Villa Rosa, and numerous residences in the fast-growing Gżira area.

A most devout man by nature, Antonio soon felt that Gżira, which had been declared a separate parish in 1921, needed its own parish church. Buying a large plot of land, he offered his services free of charge so that the town would get a fitting temple. He himself drew the plan of the church, which would also honour the ‘miracle’ of the ġebla – the stone thrown at an image of the Virgin by three drunken sailors which got stuck in the protective pane of glass.

For 14 years the building of the church became his guiding mission, dedicating most of his time and funds to its erection. One aspect of the church’s construction is its innovative use of concrete.

Even his children, Salvatore and Joseph, were drawn into the task, as was his nephew Karm (1888-1959) who would later emerge as a church-building master mason himself.

Joseph Sammut

Karm’s name is closely connected with the rebuilding of the historic Tal-Ħerba church in Birkirkara, with its great collection of 450 ex-votos, and which occupied him from 1923 to 1927. Another outstanding structure he built was the Art Nouveau Wembley Ice Cream factory in Gżira.

However, the lion’s share of the book is dedicated to Antonio’s sixth and youngest son Joseph (1908–89), the father of the author of the book. Obviously much influenced by his father’s work, Joseph showed an early aptitude for design and working in stone. At a young age he studied at night school and obtained a master mason’s licence, eventually buying his father’s tools and his Rugby 4 car for £50.

For 14 years, the building of the church became his guiding mission, dedicating most of his time and funds to its erection

Joseph began with construction just before war, joining his father in some major pro­jects, and then on his own with both the army and the air force. The immediate post-war years offered rich possibilities of contracts, like the repairing the steeple of St Paul’s Anglican cathedral, the portico of St John’s and the German chapel within, as well as other damaged churches in Valletta, such as St Augustine and Tal-Erwieħ churches.

Antonio Sammut

But Joseph’s masterpiece must be the rebuilding of the Senglea basilica of the Nativity, which had been destroyed by enemy bombs. During the actual construction, he used his engineering skills to solve many of the problems that arose. Joseph was also closely involved with the building of the Capuchins’ church at Għajn Dwieli and the raising of the huge statue of Christ the King on the pediment of Floriana parish church.

The book also contains se­veral anecdotes and snippets of information that will make it appealing to all those interested with the history of Malta’s churches.

The other aspect of Sammut’s book is the contribution of the Sammut family to the local Church as priests, nuns and missionaries. The tragic death of Joseph’s son, Fr Anton, in Brazil at a young age in 1977 must have been one of the darkest moments for the family.               

An added value of the book is a selection of Joseph’s architectural plans which attest to his careful competence, as is the number of hitherto unpublished photographs from the family archives showing, among others, various phases of the rebuilding of the Senglea basilica and war-damaged properties.