St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Valletta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul's Pro-Cathedral |
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| The Pro-Cathedral and Collegiate Parish church of Saint Paul | |
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Il-Pro-Katidral ta' San Pawl
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St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Valletta
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| 35°54′1.2″N 14°30′41.5″E / 35.900333°N 14.511528°E | |
| Location |  Valletta |
| Country |  Malta |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | High church |
| Website | Cathedral Website |
| History | |
| Status | Pro-cathedral |
| Founded | 20 March 1839 |
| Founder(s) | Queen Adelaide |
| Dedication | St Paul |
| Dedicated | 1 November 1844 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Richard Lankesheer (later adjustments by William Scamp) |
| Style | Neo-classical |
| Groundbreaking | 1839 |
| Completed | 1844 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Administration | |
| Archdeaconry | Italy and Malta |
| Diocese | Diocese in Europe |
| Province |  Canterbury |
St Paul's Pro-Cathedral (in Maltese: Il-Pro-Katridral ta' San Pawl) is an Anglican church in Valletta, Malta. It is officially known as The Pro-Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Paul. A "pro-cathedral" is a church that has the same importance as a main cathedral, but it is not the main one for its area. This church is one of three cathedrals for the Anglican Diocese in Europe. You can find it in Independence Square.
Contents
Building the Cathedral
The idea for this cathedral came from Queen Adelaide. She was a queen who visited Malta in the 1800s. She noticed there was no special place for Anglican people to worship on the island. Before this, Anglican church services were held in a room inside the Grand Master's Palace.
The church was built where an old building called the Auberge d'Allemagne used to be. This was once a home for German Knights Hospitaller. The building work happened between 1839 and 1844. Queen Adelaide herself laid the first stone on March 20, 1839. Her special flag still hangs above the choir area.
The first plans for the church were made by Richard Lankasheer. However, the building was not stable enough, so new plans were needed. William Scamp took over the design in 1841. Scamp's first idea was to put the altar on the west side of the church. But the Bishop of Gibraltar wanted it on the east side, which is more traditional. So, Scamp changed his plans to include a special area on the east side for the altar.
War and Repairs
During World War II, the cathedral was slightly damaged. Its roof collapsed, but most of the building stayed strong. When the church was repaired, some of Scamp's original ideas were finally built. A choir area and a screen were added on the west side. A special pulpit was also built and dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill.
The new church area was officially opened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, on December 2, 1949. Princess Elizabeth (who later became Queen Elizabeth II) was there for the event. The east side of the cathedral was then changed into a place for baptisms.
The area under the church, called the under-croft, was built from parts of the old Auberge d'Allemagne basement. It was not used for a long time. In 1928, Bishop Nugent Hicks opened it as a new church hall. In 1938, it was turned into a safe air raid shelter. The chaplain, his wife, and many Maltese citizens used it during the war. It was fixed up and improved in 2005.
Inside the Cathedral
St Paul's Pro-Cathedral is easy to spot in Valletta because of its tall spire, which is over 60 meters (about 200 feet) high. The church is built from Maltese limestone in a neo-classical style. This style often uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings.
Inside, the church has columns with fancy tops called Corinthian capitals. The six columns at the front entrance have slightly different tops, known as Ionic capitals. The church building is about 33.5 meters long and 20.4 meters wide inside. Behind the main altar, there is a painting called Ecce Homo. This painting was created by A E Chalon and was given to the church in 2014.
The Steeple and its Importance
The cathedral's tall steeple is a famous landmark in Valletta. You can easily see it from the Marsamxett Harbour. The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands, which means it's an important historical site. In 2017, the church started a project to fix up the building and its steeple. They aimed to raise €3,000,000 to pay for the repairs.
The Organ
Above the main entrance of the cathedral, you will find the organ. This organ originally came from Chester Cathedral in northwest England. It was built in 1684 by Bernard Smith. There's a popular story that George Frederick Handel, a famous composer, played this organ. He might have used it for final practice before the first public show of his famous work, "Messiah," in Dublin in 1742. The organ has been changed and rebuilt many times since then, most recently by Kenneth Jones of Dublin.
Connection to British Military
The wooden panels around the main altar are a special memorial. They honor the Allied military groups that helped defend Malta during World War II, from 1940 to 1943. Twelve flags hang in the aisles of the church. These flags represent important groups like the Royal Air Force, the British Merchant Navy, and the Royal Navy.
Images for kids
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St Paul's Pro-Cathedral around 1856
See also
In Spanish: Procatedral de San Pablo para niños
- List of churches in Malta
- Religion in Malta
- Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar
