The restoration works on the statues of St Roque and the Immaculate Conception, both found at the Church of Our Lady of Jesus (Ta' Ġieżu), Valletta, have been recently concluded.

To mark this occasion, Bank of Valletta, which supported the restoration of these two wooden statues, in conjunction with the Convent of the Franciscan Friars, is organising an educational event which will shed light on the history of both statues and the restoration process.

The statue of St Roque, restored.

The statue of St Roque is from the 17th century but the artist is unknown, while the statue of the Immaculate Conception is by the renowned sculptor Xandru Farrugia, who lived between 1781 and 1871 and whose works can be found in churches around Malta and in a number of street shrines, particularly in Żejtun. 

The symposium will be held on Thursday, March 2 after the 6:15pm mass at the Church of Our Lady of Jesus (Ta' Ġieżu), Valletta. Fr Ramon Farrugia, church guardian, will deliver the opening speech – this will be followed by a presentation by Pierre Bugeja, head conservator at Prevarti. The closing speech will be by Miguel Borg, Chief Risk Officer at Bank of Valletta.