Church of St Catherine, Żejtun

History

The church was built to replace the old parish church of St Catherine, more commonly known as St Gregory's, which is located in the vicinity of the present parish church. The church was built as a result of Żejtun's increasing population. The villagers had preferred to build their new church to the west of St Gregory’s, rather than the east, because this area was far too exposed to attacks from the enemy. A central location was chosen for the new parish church, which thus found itself in the focal point of the developing community. Today the church is located in the heart of the village. In 1692 Girgor Bonici, a former mayor of Mdina, bought a large plot of land right in the centre of Żejtun to build the new church. He not only bought the land but also contributed substantially throughout t the next 30 years to finance the construction of the church. The residents of Żejtun contributed by offering to work in the construction for free on holidays and in the evenings. The architect was the famous Lorenzo Gafà.

The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Davide Cocco Palmieri on November 25, 1692, with Ugolino Bonnici as archpriest. The church was consecrated on May 11, 1742. Artists such as Enrico Regnaud, Gio Nicola Buhagiar and Francesco Żahra all contributed towards magnifying the interior beauty of this church. The latter was the most talented artist of this period, whose presence in Żejtun was secured at an early age because his father, Pietro Paolo, was working on the stone carvings within the same church. The two side naves were finished in 1778.

The church is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.