Tommaso Dingli facts for kids

Tommaso Dingli (also known as Tumas Dingli) was a famous Maltese architect and sculptor. He lived from 1591 to 1666. He was one of the last architects in Malta to use the Renaissance style. He designed many important buildings, especially churches. Two of his most famous churches are in Attard and Birkirkara.

Biography: Tommaso Dingli's Life Story

Tommaso Dingli was born on December 22, 1591, in a town called Attard in Malta. His father, Giacobo Dingli, was a sculptor, and his mother was Katerina Dingli. Tommaso was one of ten children. His brother, Filippo Dingli, also became an artist.

Tommaso started his career working with stone. He was a scarpellino, which means a stone carver. He learned this skill from his father and his uncle, Andrea Dingli, who was an engineer.

The beautiful Parish Church of St. Mary in Attard, designed by Tommaso Dingli.

Early in his career, Tommaso helped build the Wignacourt Aqueduct. This was a huge project that brought water to the capital city, Valletta. He worked on it between 1610 and 1614. After that, he became very popular and was asked to design many buildings, especially churches.

In 1633, people believe Tommaso Dingli designed the second main gate of Valletta, called Porta Reale. This was a very important entrance to the city.

In 1639, a famous Italian prince named Giovanni de’ Medici was very impressed by Tommaso's skills. He even offered to take Tommaso to Italy to work there. But Tommaso decided to stay in Malta because so many people wanted his designs on the island.

Tommaso Dingli passed away on January 28, 1666, when he was 74 years old. He was buried in the Attard parish church, which was a building he had designed himself.

Most of Tommaso Dingli's buildings were made in the Renaissance style. This style often used ideas from ancient Roman and Greek buildings. Some of his designs might have also been influenced by the Spanish Plateresque style, which is very decorative. Tommaso was one of the last Renaissance architects in Malta. After he died, the Baroque style became much more popular.

Buildings Designed by Tommaso Dingli

Tommaso Dingli is most famous for designing churches. Here are some of the churches he is known to have designed:

The Parish Church of St. Mary in Birkirkara, partly designed by Dingli.

This 18th-century painting shows the second Porta Reale of Valletta in the background, which many believe was designed by Tommaso Dingli.

• Parish Church of St. Mary in Birkirkara – he probably worked with other architects on this one.
• Parish Church of the Assumption in Mosta.
• Parish Church of St. Mary in Attard.
• Parish Church of the Nativity of Mary in Naxxar.
• Parish Church of St. Bartholomew in Għargħur.
• Parish Church of Our Lady of Graces in Żabbar.
• Parish Church of St. Philip of Agira in Żebbuġ – he worked with others on this church.
• Church of the Madonna tal-Għar at Rabat.
• Sacristy of St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina.

Many of these buildings were changed or even destroyed over the years. For example, the Mosta parish church was taken down in the 1800s to make way for the much larger Rotunda of Mosta. Today, only the Birkirkara and Attard parish churches still look mostly like Tommaso Dingli designed them.

Other important buildings believed to be designed by Dingli include the Bishop's Palace and the second Porta Reale, both in Valletta. The Porta Reale was later taken down in 1853.

Tommaso Dingli's Family Life

When Tommaso Dingli was 60 years old, he married Argenta Dingli from Siġġiewi. They had six children together. One of their children later became a priest.