St Francis of Assisi Church, Valletta


St Francis of Assisi Church, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, in Valletta, was built in 1598 and was completed by 1607.

History

After a few decades, however, the church developed structural defects and in 1681 it was built anew through the "munificence" of Grand Master Gregorio Carafa, whose coat of arms adorns the façade.
The church was enlarged in the 1920s following plans by Emanuel Borg, which also included a dome. This implied the removal of some of the frescos by Giuseppe Calì, which were replaced with others by Gianni Vella.
However the church still hosts precious works of art including paintings by Mattia Preti, Pietro Gagliardi and Filippo Paladini, as well as the titular statue of St Francis.
The church building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.