Tomorrow, March 19, the Church celebrates the feast of St Joseph, patron of the Universal Church. In 1625, a chapel dedicated to the saint was raised on the site of an earlier chapel within the Citadel in Victoria through the munificence of Bishop Baldassare Cagliares (1615–1633). The simplicity of the façade with the typical round window above the door is balanced by the chequered arched ceiling inside.

The church was on the point of collapse several times. In the mid-1930s, it was extensively restored through the interest of Sir Harry Luke, then Lieutenant Governor of Malta. Fifty years later, in the 1980s, through the interest of Fr Tony Mercieca and Anthony Spiteri, a group of youths once again undertook the chapel’s rehabilitation.

Bishop Cagliares, who also built the adjoining house, known as Palazzo Cagliares, adorned the chapel with a beautiful altarpiece – The Flight of Saint Joseph into Egypt – a work attributed to Filippo Paladino (1544-1616); but most probably it was acquired from abroad. The painting, notable for its realism and quaint detail, now hangs at the Cathedral Museum. The painting currently hanging inside the chapel is a 1980 copy by Vincenzo Cordina.

In 1672, the Cathedral Chapter started to solemnise the feast of St Joseph by chanting the first vespers and singing a High Mass at the chapel. Tomorrow, Saturday, due to the restricted space inside the chapel, the feast will be celebrated at the cathedral with sung Mass at 7.30am.