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a brief historical account
The earliest indication of a church dedicated to St Julian the Hospitaller in the area known as Qaliet Ġnien il-Fieres takes us back to the year 1580. Achille Ferris, in his book Descrizione Storica delle Chiese di Malta e Gozo (1866), gives this date for the construction of the church of St Julian, referring to it as antichissima (very ancient).
It was in fact Bishop Tommaso Gargallo who, during his visitation to the parish of Birkirkara in 1601, mentioned for the first time a church dedicated to St Julian Confessor within the boundaries of that parish. In the report of the Chancellor’s visitation, it is noted that the church had been built “not long ago, precisely where the old church had stood,” through offerings made by the saint’s devotees spread across the Diocese of Malta. The many votive offerings of candles and silver that hung at the sides of the main altar bore witness to this devotion.
He also refers to a beautiful and devout icon, “worthy of veneration”, of the same saint placed on the main altar, which was furnished with the liturgical items necessary for the celebration of Mass and enclosed by a chancel screen, which was kept locked.
Don Filippo Borg, parish priest of Birkirkara, confirmed that the church was rebuilt in 1593 on the same site as another that had been frequented by many devotees. Borg records that the church’s procurator, Lorenzo Pullicino, left to his son Mattew a parcel of land adjacent to the church so that its income could be used to keep the sanctuary lamp burning on Saturdays and Sundays, and to celebrate the feast of St Julian every 27 January with Vespers and a solemn Mass.
Borg also responded to the visiting prelates’ questions about the “miracles” said to be occurring along the shoreline not far from the church. He confirmed that several Maltese and foreign devotees of the saint visited the church and, after praying there, would go down to the shore to wash themselves in the water of a particular spring, bury themselves in the sand, and afterwards claim that they had been cured of their ailments.
The report of this visit is therefore important not only because it provides us with the earliest information regarding the church of St Julian, but also because it informs us that this well-known tradition dates back to the sixteenth century. This ritual continued for more than three centuries. A letter published in The Malta Times of 2 August 1853, written by an English tourist who was astonished by such a custom, bears witness to the fact that by this date the practice was still alive and at its height. The statue of St Julian, erected on the site in 1836, remains a lasting memorial of this tradition and of the faith of our forefathers in their Patron saint.
The report of Bishop Baldassare Cagliares' visit in 1616 confirms the popularity of the church, which was located near the seashore in the area known as tal-kaletti. Like many visitors who came after him, Bishop Cagliares did not fail to comment on the painting or icon of St Julian that was venerated on the altar. He notes that it was painted on a panel set within a gilded frame and bore a coat of arms or emblem. Cagliares also tells us that the work was commissioned by Fra Iohannes de Serrocourt Commendatarius de Trans e Ruel, out of devotion, which means that the titular painting was commissioned by a knight.
Monsignor Salvatore Pontremoli, Vicar Capitular, during his visit to the church on 8 October 1634, provides the explanation for why it remains known to this day as Ta’ Lapsi. He notes that on the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, around 200 people would gather in the church, where several Masses were celebrated. After offering their devotions, the people would descend to the bay and spend the day at the sea, thus opening the summer season.
Reports from various pastoral visitations by bishops and their prelates give us important historical details about the church, corroborated by other sources. Ferris tells us that the church was rebuilt in 1682. This is confirmed in a detailed study by Notary Eugene F. Montanaro, who informs us that it was constructed according to a plan by the architect Vincenzo Casanova and through the generosity of a devotee, Baldassare Ciantar, who paid the sum of 120 scudi to Master mason Bartilmew Camilleri. The construction of the church was also overseen by the procurators, Don Mario Haxixa and Domenico Gat.
This building, however, did not last long, for in 1716 Bishop Giacomo Canaves ordered the procurator Ġużeppi Ciantar to rebuild the church, as it had become hazardous for the faithful. In 1723, Bishop Gaspar Gori Mancini condemned the church to closure because the order of his predecessor had not been executed, and he ordered that its assets be transferred to the parish church of Birkirkara, where the revenues of its dedicated endowments were to be administered.
The church had been rebuilt by 1729, as confirmed by Bishop Alpheran De Bussan during his inspection on 19 December of that year, as part of his visit to the parish of Birkirkara. De Bussan’s visitation report notes that “it has recently been rebuilt from the foundations.” The report provides a detailed description of the church’s structure and the foundations and endowments associated with it, which were now being reinstated in the new church after having been administered for a time in the collegiate church of Birkirkara. Only the feast of the Ascension had been exempted from this arrangement, as the Bishop granted that it be celebrated in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception of Spinola, near the seashore, so that “the people would not be deprived of such great devotion.”
Like its predecessor, the church had three altars. The main altar, positioned at the far end facing the principal door, was appropriately equipped for the celebration of Mass. The painting above it was very old, set within a wall recess and surrounded by a painted wooden frame. De Bussan adds an important detail: he reports that the painting had been executed in 1596. The Bishop ordered the lower part of the painting to be restored, the altar to be covered with cloth, and the sanctuary lamp to be cleaned. He confirmed that the feast was celebrated on 27 January with Mass and First Vespers. De Bussan also enumerates the endowments associated with this altar, recorded in previous pastoral visitation reports, and which were still being observed as confirmed by the Very Reverend Archpriest Coadjutor . These included: a low Mass on the Feast of St Julian funded by Mattew Pullicino; another Mass on the same feast funded by Girolama Constanza Cassar, widow of the deceased Pietru Pawl Falzon, as recorded in the notarial acts of Nicola Allegritto on 17 January 1677; and a final obligation for a Mass to be celebrated on each Sunday of April, May, June, July, August, and September, by virtue of the bequest of the deceased Martinu Borg, as recorded in the notarial acts of Pietru Attard in 1638.
The nineteenth century witnessed many changes in St Julian, among them the spiritual needs of a growing population. The suburb of St Julian was no longer home to just a few farmers, fishermen, and their families; the population had expanded so that what had once been about fifty families now reached over a thousand people in the summer months. Parishioners often remained without access to the sacraments because the distance from the parish church of St Helen discouraged them. They were also threatened by Protestant propaganda, as the Protestants had built a college nearby.
Consequently, on 21 April 1849, Ercole Mamo dei Marchesi Monpalao, on behalf of the residents of St Julian, wrote to Bishop Publio Maria Sant. In the letter, he explained that a Catholic priest was required to carry out pastoral duties in St Julian's. Bishop Sant heeded the request of the people of St Julian and established the Church of St Julian as a vice-parish.
Dun Ġużepp Xerri D.D., a young priest from Birkirkara, was chosen by Bishop Sant to serve in St Julian's. He began his pastoral ministry on 5 August 1849, marking the start of a close bond between this shepherd and the people of St Julian's, a bond that would last until his death. The church was enlarged in 1852, with Bishop Sant contributing 150 scudi towards the project. It was blessed again by Archpriest Dun Ġużepp Debono on 20 February 1853.
Upon the death of Debono, the Bishop issued a notice stating that anyone aspiring to the position of Provost was to vow not to interfere with the establishment of new parishes within the territory of the parish of Birkirkara. The chapter of St Helen's Collegiate Church protested against this notice, but this did not prevent the people of St Julian's, united under the leadership of Vice-Parish Priest Xerri, from writing to the Pope to request that their vice-parish be raised to a full parish. In response, Rome wished to hear the opinions of the new Provost and the canons of the collegiate church of St Helen. This attempt was unsuccessful, and St Julian's remained a vice-parish.
Just as had occurred with the establishment of the vice-parish, it was once again the people who took the initiative to ensure that St Julian's would become a parish. During the pastoral visit of Bishop Pietro Pace, the people of St Julian's presented a petition signed by 166 men, requesting that the Church of St Julian be raised to the status of a parish. Among the signatories were influential figures such as Mgr Ġużeppi Caruana Dingli, rector of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Dun Alwiġ Barbara, Dr Giuseppe Montanaro, and Lawyer E. Borg Olivier.
The decree establishing the parish, Quum Incolae, was published on 1 September 1891. Through this decree, Bishop Pace, exercising his authority as Apostolic Delegate, separated St Julian's from the parish of Birkirkara. The reasons cited in the decree were drawn from those provided by the residents in their petition. The decree also stipulated that the parish priest would receive the financial support that the people had been giving annually to the provost, along with an additional sum of 100 scudi per year from the provost himself. It defined the boundaries of the new parish, and the Bishop also provided a map of these geographic limits. The Curia issued a proclamation in Italian, intended to be displayed in parishes and other public places.
Xerri was appointed vicar-curate until the appointment of a new parish priest. Bishop Pace held Xerri in great esteem and therefore wrote to Pope Leo XIII, requesting that the parish be entrusted to Dun Ġużepp without examination, as the latter was too old to participate in the formal selection process for the position. Dun Ġużepp became the first parish priest of St Julian's on 10 October 1891, taking possession of the parish a few days later. He signed the baptismal registers for the first time as parish priest on 15 October of the same year. Although already advanced in age, Xerri demonstrated the same zeal and dedication he had shown throughout his ministry in St Julian's.
Evidence of this dedication is found in the fact that he expanded the church and enriched it with various works of art that are still enjoyed today, including the titular statue of St Julian, created by Carlo Darmanin, which was brought into the new parish church on the night of 13 August 1893. It was a golden era for the community of St Julian. At that time, the new parish also experienced the blessing of a priestly vocation: Dun Ġiljan Zammit celebrated his first solemn Mass on Christmas of 1893. He stepped-up to support Xerri, who by then was beginning to feel the weight of the years pressing upon him.
It was Dun Ġiljan himself, who had been baptized by Xerri, who administered the last rites to Dun Ġużepp before the latter passed away in June 1897. Following his death, Dun Ġiljan — Xerri’s right-hand man — was appointed his successor. He continued to equip the church and to form the parish community, as recorded in the registers of the Procura della Veneranda Lampade della Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giuliano.
However, Zammit’s time at the helm of the parish was brief due to ill health. He was succeeded by Dun Karm Bugelli, whose term also came to an end prematurely. After these brief tenures came the longest in the parish’s history: Dun Amabile Bonanno led the parish of St Julian's for thirty-four years, navigating the difficult periods of the First and Second World Wars and the political-religious struggles with the Constitutional Party of Lord Gerald Strickland. Yet this was also a beautiful and very active period for the parish. The Poor Clares and the Augustinians opened their convents in St Julian's, and the Society of Christian Doctrine (M.U.S.E.U.M) was established.
Several confraternities and associations were also founded: the Confraternities of Our Lady of the Rosary and of St Joseph, the Franciscan Third Order, the League of the Holy Name of God, the Daughters of Mary, the Apostolate of Prayer Association, and the Pious Union of Our Lady of Sorrows. During Bonanno's tenure, specifically on 30 September 1934, that the parish was solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Yet St Julian's continued to change. By 1948, the population had reached 9,200. Bonanno had been the first to dream of a new parish church, as early as 1919. His successor, Dun Anton Debono, took a further step forward by purchasing a plot of land for the construction of a new church. However, his successor, Philip Grech, appears to have abandoned the plan and renounced the land.
It was Dun Guido Calleja who ultimately brought Bonanno’s vision to fruition. The contract for the purchase of the land for the new church was signed in May 1957. On 9 July 1961, a grand celebration took place in St Julian on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the new parish church by Archbishop Sir Michael Gonzi. Yet Dun Guido did not have the fortune to see the church completed during his tenure, as he was sent by the Archbishop to serve as parish priest of the Parish of Stella Maris, in Sliema.
After only four years of pastoral ministry, Dun Ġwann Galea, a native son of the parish, was appointed as the eighth parish priest of St Julian. He was tasked with overseeing the opening and completion of the new church. It was first opened to the public during the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in 1967, while the official inauguration took place on Palm Sunday of the following year. The church was blessed on 25 August of that year and solemnly consecrated on 17 December 1978.
The old parish church was closed for a brief period when the new parish church opened. However, shortly afterward, through the initiative of Dun Anton Sciberras and Verger Michael Grech, it was reopened and continues to serve the spiritual needs of the people of St Julian to this day. In 2003, the Għaqda Dilettanti Knisja ta’ Lapsi, San Ġiljan was established to support the aging sacristan, assist in the upkeep of the church, and continue the restoration work initiated by the government — both on the church’s bell tower and on the artistic frescoes of the vaulted ceiling. From that moment, an intense program of work began, which continues to this day, aiming to restore the church to a central place in the life of the parish and to preserve it as befits a temple with such a long history - a house of spiritual refuge, prayer, and devotion for the people of St Julian's over so many generations.
This account was compiled by Niki Papagiorcopulo.
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