St Paul's Pro Cathedral

Origin and construction

The cathedral was commissioned by the Dowager Queen Adelaide during a visit to Malta in the 19th Century when she found out that there was no place of Anglican worship on the island. Prior to this Anglican services were held in a room in the Grand Master’s Palace. Built on the site of the Auberge d'Allemagne (the conventual home of the German Knights Hospitaller), the cathedral was designed by William Scamp and was built between 1839 and 1844. Queen Adelaide laid the foundation stone on 20 March 1839 and her banner hangs above the choir stalls. The original plans were designed by Richard Lankasheer however the building proved unstable thus work had to resume on plans by Scamp in 1841. Scamp's designs located the altar on the west side of the church however the Bishop of Gibraltar had a more conservative view, thus the designs were altered and Scump designed an apse inside the great doors to hold the sanctuary on the east side.

War period and repairs

During the war the cathedral was damaged and the roof collapsed however it escaped serious damage. During restoration works the original designs by Scump started to take shape. A quire and rood screen were built on the west side of the cathedral. A pulpit was also incorporated with the screen dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill. The new chancery was dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher on December 2nd, 1949 in the presence of Princess Elizabeth. The east side of the cathedral was then transformed into a baptistery. The under-croft, constructed from remains of the basement of the Auberge d'Allemagne was never used. In 1928 the Bishop of Gibraltar Nugent Hicks opened the under-croft as the new parish hall. In 1938 it was transformed as a gas proof air raid shelter and in the early days of the conflict was used by the chaplain, his wife and scores of Maltese citizens. In 2005 it was restored and upgraded.

Interior

A Valletta landmark due to its spire rising over 60 metres, it is constructed with Maltese limestone in a neo-classical style. The cathedral has columns with capitals of the Corinthian order while the capitals of the six columns of the portico are of the Ionic order. The internal dimensions of the building are 33.5 metres x 20.4 metres. Behind the main altar is a painting titled Ecce Homo, the work of A E Chalon, donated in 2014. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the Lady chapel located to the left of the pulpit facing the altar.

Steeple

The cathedral's steeple is a landmark on its own being notably visible in the Marsamxett Harbour. The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. On February 9, 2017 a project to restore the cathedral and the steeple was launched with the aim of collecting €3,000,000 to cover the costs.

Organ

Above the entrance to the cathedral is located the organ that originated in Chester Cathedral in northwest England. The one-manual instrument was built in 1684 by Bernard Smith and is said to have been played by George Frederick Handel while en route to Dublin for the first performance of the Messiah. However, it has been changed and rebuilt several times, most recently by Kenneth Jones of Dublin.

Association with British military forces

The oak panels around the High Altar are a memorial to the Allied units which took part in the defence of Malta between 1940 and 1943 and twelve flags hang in the aisles representing amongst others the Royal Air Force, the British Merchant Navy, and the Royal Navy.

Services

Regular services at the cathedral include a Eucharist at 11 am every Sunday and Monday. Occasional choral Evensong is also held from time to time.

Chancellors of the Cathedral