Work on the marble flooring at St Dominic parish church in Valletta has been completed. To mark the occasion, prior and parish priest Fr Michael Camilleri and the Porto Salvo and St Dominic Foundation will be holding a solemn Mass on Saturday, December 17, at 6.15pm. The King’s Own Philharmonic Quartet will take part.

Some months ago, the Dominican community of Valletta started a project which had been waiting for long – the restoration and changing parts of the marble floor of the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven and St Dominic.

After the extensive restoration of the interior and exterior of the church, including all frescoes and oil paintings, the cracked marble flooring, apart from posing a danger to churchgoers, could be seen as an eyesore.

The restoration and the replacement of marble slabs and the preparatory work needed involve a considerable amount of money.

“To carry out the project, we made use of European funds specifically directed to such projects. I wish to thank all those who helped us acquire these funds and those volunteers who helped in the execution of the project,” Fr Camilleri said.

European funds supported 80 per cent of the total expenditure, while the remaining 20 per cent were to be forked out by the parish. Benefactors and friends are now being urged to support another project – the attachment of bench stoppers to avoid damage being done to the marble. In fact, church goers are being urged not to wear stilettos when attending church services.

The marble work was carried out by Halmann Vella Ltd.