The main altar decorated for the saint’s titular feast.

Senglea is the smallest of the three cities in Cottonera. This peninsula, less than a mile long, and protruding into Grand Harbour, faces the charming walled city of Valletta and is situated between Galley Port (or Dockyard Creek) on the Vittoriosa side and French Creek. The Maltese name for the city is Isla, which is derived from the Italian word isola (island). The name basically indicates the geographical structure of this promontory, nearly cut off by Mill Hill and St Julian’s Hill on the landward side.

This locality is one of the jewels of the Maltese islands, besides being one of its oldest cities. With its houses lined up by the waterline, Senglea today looks like a smaller version of Venice. When the Knights of St John ruled the island, Senglea was a favourite hunting ground. In fact, a large number of olive trees were planted to add adventure to the hunt. At that time it was known as L’Isola di San Giuliano.

In 1311, when Malta was under Aragonese domain, and when Gulielmo Raimondo de Moncada was feudal lord and castelain of the Castrum Maris, St Julian’s church, with its adjoining cemetery, was founded. This church, dedicated to the patron saint of hospitality and chase, built a few metres above sea level, is believed to be the first building constructed on the Senglea peninsula. It was among the buildings belonging to feudal lords which eventually passed to the Order of St John.

Façade of the church.

On May 8, 1552, the foundation stone of Fort St Michael was laid on St Julian’s Hill. Work on the fort, designed by architect Pedro Pardo, was completed in 1553. Construction of the walled town of Senglea took place in the following decade.

In 1554, Grand Master Claude de la Sengle (1553-1557) transformed this narrow promontory into a fortified city, which was named Senglea after him. Its grid plan was later adopted for the construction of the new capital, Valletta.

This maritime city not only boasts a rich heritage but also encompasses many structures undertaken by the Knights themselves, making it one of the heaviest fortified areas on the island. It is indeed a gem enclosed by spectacular bastions, with commanding views of Grand Harbour.

In March 1539, Fra Diego Perez de Malfreire, prior of Portugal and resident chief military engineer and architect of the Order of St John, petitioned the council to pull down and rebuild the old church of St Julian, which was in a dilapidated state. He did this at his own expense, and to his personal design and plan.

A decorative marble lavabo in the church’s sacristy.

Malfriere’s church retained the medievel east-west orientaton, with a west side-door on Two Gates Street. There was also a belcot on the main façade.

According to tradition, the church had a gabled timber roof on timber trusses. A gable-roof church is, in fact, depicted in Matteo Perez d’Aleccio’s frescoes showing the events of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.

During this siege, Senglea’s role in the defence against Turkish attacks was formidable. The chroniclers recount that throughout the grimmest part of the siege, Senglea bore the brunt of the heaviest assaults by the Ottoman forces, and this stands to reason as Senglea’s bastions were weaker when compared with those of Vittoriosa.

Furthermore, Senglea was the only place against which an attack was launched simultaneously by land and sea. The Turks’ intention was to occupy Senglea from where they could launch an assault on the undefended, unfortified part of Vittoriosa. Luckily, Senglea stood firm, and like its neighbour remained unconquered, hence the title given to it by Grand Master Jean Parisiot de Valette, Civitas Invicta.

The statue of St Julian decorated for the feast day.

According to historian Antonio Bosio, during this ordeal, St Julian’s church served as a sacramental church where services were held and sermons preached with great devotional fervour. Besides being a refuge for the besieged local population, it was a place of solace and spiritual comfort for the knights and soldiers alike.

Soon after the terrible trial of the Great Siege, the population of Senglea increased rapidy, but laboured under the disadvantage of having to cross over to Vittoriosa for their spiritual needs. On February 19, 1575, the Sengleans petitioned the Apsotolic visitor, Mgr Pietro Dusina, to assign a priest to St Julian’s church. The request was acceded to.

The church of St Julian was thus declared a vice-parish church of Vittoriosa, and Don Erasmus Balzan was the first vice-parish priest at St Julian’s. It was the first time ever such a title was given to a church in the Maltese diocese.

Five years later, building started on the much bigger church dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady, which became the parish church of Senglea in 1581, with Don Antonio de Nicolaci being the first parish priest.

Since the creation of the parish, the inhabitants of Senglea benefited from the presence of priests who were interested in the education of children. In fact, the small church of St Julian became one of the very first schools in Malta.

In 1588, Don Vincenzo Caruana, who in 1592 became Senglea’s second parish priest, gathered a group of youngsters in St Julian’s church and helped them in their studies at secondary school level. Asked by Bishop Tommaso Gargallo about how and why he took this initiative to educate the children, the priest answered that he was only acting out of Christian charity.

It is worth adding that during that same period, Senglea’s vice-parish priest, Don Bernardino Farnese, was also giving lessons in another part of the city. These priests were doing their utmost to offer the very basic education to these children with the aim of granting to society upright citizens and effective Christians. Beyond doubt, this was one of the best episodes in the very early days of Senglea’s history.

This church, dedicated to the patron saint of hospitality and chase, is believed to be the first building constructed on Senglea peninsula

On November 2, 1624, Bishop Baldassere Cagliares placed St Julian’s church under the care of the Augustinian discalced friars, giving them leave to use a contiguous house as a friary. These friars remained here for only six months. In fact, they left in May, 1625.

The church’s titular painting of St Julian, an 1821 painting by Giovanni Baptista Bonomo.

An earthquake, of 7.4 magnitude with its epicenter in eastern Sicily, hit Malta on January 11, 1693. Most houses in Valletta were damaged and several church domes in Malta and Gozo collapsed. Serious damage occurred at Mdina, which suffered the partial collapse of its cathedral. The tremor also caused damage to the church of St Julian.

In 1699, Raimondo Di Domenici painted an artistic icon of St Julian that was to be placed as the pala d’altare. The upper part of this painting is today preserved in the sacristy of the church. The lower part was lost due to some unknown accident that happened in the past.

Unfortunately, that same year, following a petition by the curator Don Gian Luca Caetani, it was decided to pull down and rebuild the church, which was in a ruined state.

The rebuilding of St Julian’s church was completed in 1712, following the design and plans laid by Lorenzo Gafa (1639-1703), who kept Malfriere’s proportion and design in the church’s façade. The year 1710 can be seen on the church’s façade to indicate when that part was completed. One can also see the coat of arms of Bishop Davide Cocco Palmeri.

Historical plaque in the sacristy which marks the rebuilding of the church in 1539.

Built in the doric style, the church is surmounted with an elliptical dome and topped with a stone lantern with window lights. The sacristy was also rebuilt and a belfry, designed by Senglea-born Francesco Azzopardi, was added to the Two Gates Street front. The main entrance, with its short flight of steps, is on St Julian Street.

January 27, 1730, marks another important day in the history of this church: Bishop Paolo Alferan de Bussan visited the church so as to honour, by his presence, the titular feast of St Julian. It was on this occasion that the bishop himself declared St Julian to be a special patron saint of Senglea, together with Our Lady of the Nativity (Maria Bambina).

In 1821, the Vittoriosa-born Giovanni Baptista Bonomo (1776-1856) painted the titular image of St Julian, which can still be admired today. The painting shows the saint in a knight’s garb. In the background one can see a panoramic view of Fort St Angelo and Fort St Michael.

This painting was placed in an artistic baroque backdrop. On the upper part of this ambience, one can read a quotation take from the Book of Prophet Isaiah (37, 35 “Protegam Civitatem Istam” (I shall protect this city) with reference of St Julian’s vigilance over Senglea.

Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri’s coat-of-arms and the year 1710 on the church’s façade.

In 1868, Mastru Anton Busuttil sculptured in stone the statue of St Paul seen on the external corner of the church.

It was in March 1927 that the Holy See accepted a petition and granted permission to hold in this church the liturgy of candle blessing on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the blessing of ashes on Ash Wednesday together with the liturgy of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. These liturgical functions were normally celebrated in parish churches.

During World War II, Senglea suffered heavy bombardments which devastated most of the city and killed many of its citizens. On January 16, 1941, a blitz by the Luftwaffe on HMS Illustrious, docked at nearby Corradino, caused 21 fatalities, including 30-year-old Canon John Theuma Relf, and destroyed most of the city’s buildings, including the basilica, which was almost reduced to rubble.

On that evening, as the smoke and dust drifted slowly in the breeze across the ruins, this bombed-out city offered a macabre sight. The church of St Julian itself still stood, although it suffered from bomb explosions.

During those unforgettable days, washed with the blood of innocent victims and bathed with the tears of those who picked up, from among the ruins, the lifeless bodies of their loved ones, the miraculous statue of Jesus the Redeemer found refuge in Birkirkara’s collegiate church. When it was brought back to Senglea on July 9, 1944, it was kept in St Julian’s church till 1947 when the Oratory of the Holy Crucifix was rebuilt.

Since it was in a severely dilapidated state, the original belfry was pulled down in 1998 and rebuilt in conformity to its original measurements and design. One of the bells in the present belfry, the one facing east, dates back to 1723. Manufactured by Alberto Bertuccelli of Messina, it was one of the two bells held in the small bell cot once built on the church’s façade. The other three bells were manufactured in 1905-1906 by the Premiata Fonderia Daciano Colbachini of Padova.

The inhabitants benefited from the presence of priests interested in education. In fact, the church became one of the first schools in Malta

This significant church, originally build in a wooded area, is today hemmed in by buildings. Nonetheless, throughout its long history, it has always been well maintained and continues today its long tradition of spiritual solace, it being opened daily for perpetual adoration.

Beyond doubt, however, with the beginning of a new year, this church starts putting on a festive attire as it prepares to celebrate the titular feast in honor of St Julian. This is done on the nearest weekend nearest to January 27, which is the liturgical feast day of St Julian.