April 13, 2024 marks 100 years to the day since the monumental urn holding the effigy of the dead body of Christ surrounded by eight angels was delivered to Mosta parish. That was the day it took its rightful pride of place in the Mosta Rotunda during Holy Week.

This event marked a milestone in the history of Good Friday imagery in Mosta, and indeed of Malta. This prestigious baroque project is the fruit of the foresight of procurator Don Giuseppe Vella, the unwavering financial generosity of Chev. Carmelo Dimech, the fine artisanship of designer and sculptor Antonio Agius, and the undisputed artistic capabilities of papier-mâché artist Agostino Camilleri.

Born in 1888, Agius had established himself as a prolific designer and sculptor entrusted with several prestigious commissions, largely in ecclesiastical circles.

Suffice to mention that, at the age of 25, he had already been commissioned to provide the wooden model of a new capitular mace for the conventual parish church of his hometown Vittoriosa, having already completed sculptural works for the newly constructed parish church of the Most Holy Trinity in Marsa.

Other prestigious commissions soon followed, particularly in Gozo, where his artistic genius came to the fore, as exemplified by sculptural works for the parishes of Nadur, Għasri and the newly built Ta’ Pinu shrine. Back in Malta, this gifted artisan embellished the side chapels in the parish churches of Siġġiewi and Żebbuġ, while contributing to the decorative elements for the parish church of Christ the King in Paola.

Agius’s impressive artistic legacy reached its peak in the design and sculptural execution of the monumental urn in Mosta. The Mosta parish had already been embellished by Agius’s exquisite baroque set of 16 frames adorning the oil-painted images of the Way of the Cross, and the repositories for holy oils and sacred reliquaries, as well as sculptural motifs on the pre-existent wooden pedestal supporting the statue of our Lady of the Rosary.

The baroque wooden monumental urn is a sight to behold, unique in its grandeur befitting the “King of kings and Lord of lords”; (Revelation 19:16).

Finely sculpted cherub, baroque scrolls and intricate floral and foliage motifs decorating the monumental urn.

Rising above an ornate base holding the allegorical resting place of the Saviour are four richly carved structures holding a canopy and four vases adorned with intricate flowers made of drapery. The canopy is topped by an imperial crown held aloft by four angels, resting amid decorative garlands of similarly styled flowers made of satin and silver petals.

Another four pious angels holding Passion symbols adorn each corner of the base, as if lamenting the sorrowful death endured by the Nazarene. This opulent monumental urn, adorned with floreal, acanthus leaf and other foliage motifs and baroque scrolls, is supported on a wheeled structure.

The latter was originally hidden from public view by highly prestigious royal Venetian velvet drapery, lately sadly replaced as it became worn out. It is driven at a snail’s pace through Mosta’s oldest streets during the annual Good Friday procession, guided from beneath by a local volunteer peeping through two concealed holes in the pedestal, aided by four colleagues pushing the structure in sheer darkness.

It is worthwhile noting that while Agius singlehandedly conceived and accomplished the sculptural work on this prestigious project, he entrusted the underlying structure and base to his carpenter brother Giovanni and its intricate embroidery and llama awning to his other brother tailor Salvatore, rendering it a rather familial artistic undertaking.

The baroque wooden monumental urn is a sight to behold, unique in its grandeur

The finished product’s gilding was assigned to another Vittoriosan compatriot, Lorenzo Gatt. Floreal work was created by the highly skilled Ġużeppi Grima (born 1887, died 1960), from Naxxar, known as ta’ Mari Karm.

This artistic masterpiece quickly made the rounds locally, and received accolades from the Malta Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. St George Preca is said to have witnessed it being manufactured inside Agius’s workshop near the Couvre Porte in Vittoriosa and encouraged Antonio as he toiled on his commissioned project.

As outlined earlier, the papier-mâché statues of the dead Christ and its surrounding eight angels were made by Gozitan-born Agostino Camilleri. Born in 1885, he showed an interest in sculpture from a young age, and established himself as a prolific papier-mâché statuarian. Suffice to mention his many devout crucifixes, the statue of the Virgin Mary of Grace commissioned for the Capuchin church of Victoria, as well as his outstanding titular statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the parish of Fontana, Gozo.

His work on the dead body of Christ in Mosta is considered among his best, and is characterised by particular attention to anatomical detail. The facial expressions of the surrounding angels bear testimony to his craftsmanship, and seemingly interact with the onlooker as they gaze at the ultimate consequence of the Lord’s salvific undertaking. Agostino departed to eternal life at the venerable age of 94 on July 9, 1979, having been appointed Commander of the Order of the Knights of St John by St Pope Paul VI in recognition of his services to Christian art.

Mosta’s famous ‘monument’ solemnly driven along local the Mosta streets on Good Friday.

Mosta-born Carmelo Dimech emigrated to Texas in the US at a young age, where he amassed significant wealth through business ventures. Returning to his country of origin, he provided the funding of 500 sterling required to complete this Good Friday project. Moreover, he singlehandedly financed the sculpting and subsequent gilding in gold leaf of the geometric design decorating the gigantic iconic catenary dome dominating the Mosta Rotunda in line with neoclassical designs provided by architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé.

In recognition of his generosity, he was bestowed with the coveted Pro Ecclesia et Pontefice decoration by Pope Pius XII and is commemorated by a marble bust located in the chapel of St Roque, St Rosalia and St Sebastian within this basilica.

Over the last century, thousands of visitors must have marvelled at the exceptional beauty of this masterpiece, truly befitting the locals’ description as ‘Monument ġo Monument’ (monument within another monument, namely the Rotunda). It remains to this day a living testimony of rare skill, artistic genius and sheer determination of our forefathers, and unequivocal reverence to the Passion and death of Our Lord. May their example inspire local communities to cherish our unique religious and artistic heritage, ensuring its preservation for future generations.

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges information gleaned from publications by Joseph G.M. Borg, Rev.  Hermann Duncan, Tony Terribile and Lorenzo Zahra.

Sandro Vella is a consultant physician, diabetologist and endocrinologist with an interest in Mosta’s cultural heritage.