The €2.2 million restoration of church façades, belfries and works of art in 15 parishes across Malta has kicked off and should be completed within three years.

“I would like to pass on Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s appeal to appreciate the efforts of our ancestors who invested in religious heritage. We need to make sure that we pass on this heritage to future generations,” Curia administrative secretary Michael Pace Ross said on Friday.

“Funds allocated for the restoration and conservation of our cultural heritage are an investment into the protection of Maltese identity.”

Mr Pace Ross was speaking outside the Naxxar parish church, which together with the Attard, Balzan, Dingli, Marsaxlokk, Mġarr, Paola, Rabat and Tarxien will have their façades restored.

Work will also be carried out on the Bidnija chapel, and two others in Għargħur – the Santa Marija ta’ Bernarda and Santa Marija taż-Żellieqa.

The funds will meanwhile be invested in the upgrading of the Curia’s Archives into state-of-the-art premises for the benefit of researches, students and the public.

The upgrade of the archives, which date back to the 15th century, will include a professional archiving system, a new shelving system and exhibition equipment.

The Visitors’ Lodge in the Mellieħa Sanctuary square will start hosting an ecclesiastical museum and funds will also be dedicated to studies on the structure of the Saint Mary parish church in Birkirkara.

Just two decades following its restoration, cracks have reappeared on the walls of this old Birkirkara church, which has a long history of structural problems and at one point was left for a whole century without a roof.

The geotechnical research would come in handy when determining the required intervention.

Works of art hosted at Saint Helena’s Basilica, the Mdina co-cathedral and the Mosta Basilica will also benefit from the funds.

Of the total, 80% are ERDF 2014-2020 funds, and the rest is being forked out by the Archdiocese of Malta Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Ten tenders have already been awarded and work has just started on eight sites. The rest of the tenders will be awarded by June.

Mr Pace Ross noted that this restoration project was unprecedented and will also see the creation of a heritage trail for the benefit of local and foreign visitors.

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Addressing the same press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Aaron Farrugia noted that as a result of this restoration and conservation project, by 2023 the number of tourists is expected to increase by 200,000.

More than €80m in ERDF funds have been invested in the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage, he added.