It has been very aptly called ‘the egg-shaped church’, ‘the farmers’ church’ or ‘the eggs and poultry church’. All attributes link up to the traditional peasant roots of the Imġarrin.

Although Mġarr is one of the oldest villages of the Maltese islands, as the Ta’ Ħaġrat and Skorba prehistoric temples can attest, yet, it was only in the 19th century that settlers began to conglomerate again, this time around an old chapel dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady.

They eventually earned the status of an autonomous parish in 1898 when the population was circa 581 inhabitants and increasing steadily (Deguara A., L-Imġarr, il-Ħajja u l-Ħidma ta’ Niesu mill-Qedem sa Llum, 1999).

Master mason Ġanmarì Camilleri ‘Is-Saqqafi’ (the one in white) and his courageous team of builders at work.

The new church

The first parish priest, Fr Ġlormu Chetcuti of Mosta, had not been long in charge of the new parish when he began to think about having a larger church to accommodate the community for its spiritual worship. He was particularly attracted to the Carmelite church of Mdina, the first to be built in Malta with an elliptical plan.

He, in fact, asked Gio Maria Camilleri, a master mason from Mosta and a foreman in the Public Works Department, to draw up a similar but much larger plan with apses, vaults and a dome (Cilia, Ġ.A., L-Imġarr matul iż- Żminijiet. X’Naf u x’ Niftakar Dwaru, 1998). Little did Fr Chetcuti know what difficulties that particular shape was to eventually cause.

This plan was duly approved and, by early June 1912, the foundation stone was solemnly blessed and laid by Mgr Luiġi Attard, vicar general of the diocese. The humble parishioners gathered around their pious pastor in support of the ambitious project and heroically braced themselves for the mammoth task that lay ahead.

The first mason was Andrea Deguara of Mġarr, followed by Toni Camilleri, also of Mġarr. Vinċenzo Galea 'Ta’ Tula' of Mosta, who was the master mason, had to face many difficulties as Gio Maria Camilleri passed away.

The building process itself dragged on, sometimes coming to a complete halt when funds were lacking. By 1930, only the first order was completed.

Vinċenzo Galea left the project abruptly and, some time later, Fr Chetcuti was appointed canon capitular of the cathedral of Mdina. He was succeeded by an honoured war chaplain from Mosta and a great benefactor of Mġarr, Fr Edgar Salomone who, by that time, had already provided the parishioners with a new government primary school.

Fr Edgar Salomone, the great benefactor of Mġarr.

The building of the church continued in 1933 with new vigour. The second order was built this time under the master mason of Mġarr, Ġanmarì Camilleri, known as Is-Saqqafi (the Roofer), who had already worked as a stone dresser and a stone carver as from the very foundations of the church. It was, however, the time when great difficulties started to creep in as there were no plans for the dome except for a bare outline.

Architect Ugo Mallia, who, since 1922, had been lending his professional aid generously and free of charge, resigned when pressured by Fr Salomone to produce such plans (ibid, 1998). Architects Micallef of Luqa, D’Amato of Paola and Mifsud Ellul of Mosta were contacted to take the responsibility of the building but none were willing to do so.

The church project came to a deadlock. In the absence of a professional architect to supervise the work, Ġanmarì Camilleri, with the help of Ġanni Cilia, the local school headmaster, drafted a full-scale plan of the dome on the church’s parvis which had just been widened by the government. More than that, Ġanmarì Camilleri, who very wisely always sought advice, had to assume the leadership and the responsibility to translate those plans into a sound and aesthetically beautiful dome in a safe way for all workers.

Little did Fr Chetcuti know what difficulties that particular shape was to eventually cause

The building resumed in 1937. The dome was ready two years later, on the eve of World War II, to the great satisfaction and justifiable joy of the Mġarr people. Mġarr was en fête on August 13, 1939, when the church was blessed by its first parish priest, Mgr Ġlormu Chetcuti, then the archbishop’s delegate.

The Times of Malta reported the event and, besides giving details of the church, it also gave credit to the enormous and difficult task shouldered by the humble village master mason and his team of workers: “The whole brunt of the enormous responsibility of carrying it all out to the splendid achievement we behold this day was borne by the valiant Mġarri, Ġanmarì Camilleri and his courageous crew, also from Mġarr” (Times of Malta, ‘Farmer’s church at Mġarr, 360,000 eggs help to raise it’, August 12, 1939).

The article also praised the faith and the admirable generosity of the parishioners who, unconditionally and unwaveringly, gave all they had for the church: their time, their money and their produce.

The dome nearing completion, with workmen seen at the very top.

During the war years, the building was halted, providing Fr Salomone with the opportunity to earn some more funds, then also from the circa 700 refugees, mostly from Żabbar, who flocked to Mġarr to seek shelter.

In February 1946, the building of the lantern was undertaken to graciously crown the dome and the church as a whole. Due to the narrow dimensions and the great peril to manoeuvre at that altitude, Ġanmarì came up with a brilliant idea. He built the full-size lantern at ground level by the side of the church and, with a system of numbers and colours, he marked every slab. This facilitated the building process and, by August 17, 1947, the lantern was ready. A few days later, it was endowed with a cross on top of it. The following year, the remaining works on the sacristy, cupolas and belfries were completed so that by April 4, 1948, the church was finished to its grandeur (Deguara, 1999). It must be said that part of the sacristy had still to be completed. It is being finished now, 75 years later, by the current parish priest of Mġarr, Fr George Schembri.

From all aspects, this elliptical church is a monument to admire and is a living legacy of the faith, love, courage and tremendous generosity of the poor farmers of Mġarr. It also shows the Imġarrin’s resilience, perseverance and consummate skill to raise this marvel of a church we behold today.

Lina Deguara is a former headmistress of various primary and secondary government schools. She is the granddaughter of Ġanmarì Camilleri and has fond memories of him sharing episodes from the making of Mġarr parish church.