Seven restored paintings by the 17th-century Calabrian painter Mattia Preti at Sarria church, in Floriana, were inaugurated on July 12.

The restoration has been a flagship Din l-Art Ħelwa project over the last 12 years, coordinated by volunteers Maria Grazia Cassar, Patricia Salomone and Simone Mizzi.

The project was led by Giuseppe Mantella, with the collaboration of art historian Sante Guido and with the diagnostic assistance of Sebastiano D’Amico from the Department of Geosciences of the University of Malta.

The inauguration event was addressed by Fr Lino Spiteri, rector of the church, and concluded with a blessing by Cardinal Mario Grech.

The lunette representing the Apotheosis of the Order of St John and the painting of St Nicholas of Bari.

During the evening, Mantella delivered a presentation outlining the story of the restoration project, which was launched in 2010 when, during the restoration of the painting of St Sebastian, it was noticed that the titular painting dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was suffering from delamination of its layers of paint.

It was explained that Sarria church was rebuilt by the Order of St John as thanksgiving for the end of the plague of 1675-76 that had killed about 8,000 people on the site of an older, smaller chapel. The new and bigger church was reputedly built to Preti’s design, which would make it the only known architectural work by Preti.

The chapel was built to accommodate seven paintings by Preti, commissioned by Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner, dedicated to saints associated with protection from the plague. Besides the above-mentioned paintings of St Sebastian and the Immaculate Conception, the other paintings are dedicated to St Roque, St Rosalia, St Nicholas of Bari, Archangel Michael and the Apotheosis of the Order of St John.

Mantella explained that the paintings had been previously restored on various occasions but had suffered most damage when, as a precaution during World War II, they were rolled up and stored for safe-keeping.

The rolling and eventual unrolling had caused severe damage to the paint layers of most of the paintings. The latest diagnostic technologies were used to carefully map the paintings with the worst damage.

The restored paintings of St Rosalia and of St Michael the Archangel.

Alex Torpiano, executive president of Din l-Art Ħelwa, highlighted the fact that the restored paintings were being inaugurated at the end of another pandemic and a couple of days after the 57th anniversary of the foundation of the NGO.

He thanked the sponsors and all the people who had helped and contributed to the project and reiterated Din l-Art Ħelwa’s commitment to continue to work in favour of the protection of Malta’s and Gozo’s cultural heri­tage from the ravages of time and of people.

The event was attended by Italian Ambassador Fabrizio Romano, Alfred Vella, rector of the University of Malta, Fr Michael Bugeja, delegate of the Jesuit Province, Kurt Farrugia, Superintendent of Cultural Heritage, Davina Sammut, mayor of Floriana and other distinguished guests and friends of Din l-Art Ħelwa.

The restoration project was sponsored by Malta International Airport Foundation, Shireburn Software Ltd, Middle Sea Insurance, the Rotary Clubs of Palermo and of Malta, Sparkasse Bank Malta Ltd, Vassallo Builders and an anonymous sponsor.

Fr Lino Spiteri, rector of Sarria church, presenting a token to Cardinal Mario Grech at the inauguration ceremony.