The earliest recorded church dedicated to Our Saviour in the “punta sottile della Rinella” (the narrow tip of Rinella) originated in 1487, and was subsequently loaned to one of the communities of Byzantine-rite Catholics who accompanied the Order to Malta in 1530. The fateful Siege of 1565 inflicted several damages, but the restorion of its fabric and the reinstatement of its function materialised shortly after. As a matter of fact, the 1575 report of Pietro Dusina’s Apostolic Visit qualifies it as “Ecclesia sub vocabulo Sancti Salvatoris sita extra muros Civitatis Victoriosae Melitensis” (Church dedicated to Our Saviour beyond the walls of the Victorious City of Malta).

Later on, in 1585, Claudio Abela and Davide Burlò sponsored its reconstruction, while the Bailiff Fra Giovanni Bichi and several other victims of the 1676 plague, were interred therein. The ties of the Bichi lineage with this church were further cemented in 1680, when Fra Mario Bichi, the nephew of Fra Giovanni Bichi, commissioned Lorenzo Gafà to design and oversee the building of the extant church. Fra Mario also adorned the new church by a commemorative monument in memory of his uncle and by a Mattia Preti altarpiece. The latter went missing during the French occupation.

Construction and Works of Art

Our Saviour Church follows a hexagon plan and is roofed over by a dome. The main external elevation is defined by a square-headed door surmounted by a niche formerly holding a statue of Our Lady of the Snows. This was recently moved inside the same church for conservation purposes.

Way back, the church was adorned with several works of art, namely two canvases showing St Filomena and St Catherine, by Tommaso Madiona and Giacomo Carnisi respectively, and The Way of the Cross produced in 1815.

Amalgamation to Bighi Hospital

The 1813 plague outbreak placed Our Saviour Church in the limelight. Given the strict isolation rules, the 800-strong community living in the Kalkara environs were precluded from seeking spiritual succor from the Birgu Parish. To this effect, the Carmelitan Friar Vincenzo Major was deployed to this church to administer the sacraments and assist the Kalkara community. Eventually, the church started catering for the spiritual needs of the Catholic patients admitted to Bighi Naval Hospital.

Likewise, it doubled up as an interim seat of the then Kalkara Parish following the destruction of the former St Joseph Parish Church during World War II. This chapter came to an end with the inaguration of the present Kalkara Parish Church in 1952 (see St Joseph Parish Church, Kalkara). The eventual closure of the Bighi Naval Hospital triggered a phase of dilapidation. The tide turned at the turn of the 21st century, when following an extensive restoration project, Our Saviour Church was reinstated as an active place of worship.

Milestones

1487: building of first church

1530: serving Byzantine-rite Catholics

1565: infliction of severe damages during Great Siege

1585: rebuilding

1676: burial of plague victims

1680: construction of extant building

1813: administration of the Sacraments to the Kalkara community due to the restrictions brought about by the plague outbreak

1827: use as chapel for Catholic patients admitted to Bighi Naval Hospital

1942-1952: use as temporary seat of the Kalkara Parish