Knisja Arcipretali Santwarju Mosta

Informazzjoni dwar ir-Rotunda u festi f'Malta

 

Il-bidu ta’ l-ewwel fratellanzi f’pajjizna jmur lura lejn is-sekli erbatax u hmistax.  Hemm storici li jghidu li l-ewwel fratellanza kienet dik ta’ San Guzepp tar-Rabat ta’ l-Imdina li twaqqfet fl-1345.  Hemm ohrajn li jghidu li l-ewwel fratellanza ddokumentata kienet dik ta’ Santa Marija (tal-Lunzjata) tal-Birgu mwaqqfa fl-1445.  L-ghan ta’ dawn il-fratellanzi u xirkirt li twaqqfu b’pass imghaggel fil-knejjes kollha tal-gzejjer taghna kien kemm devozzjonali kif ukoll socjali.

 

 

The genesis of confraternities in Malta goes back to the XIV and XV century. Some historians state that the first of such confraternities was the one dedicated to Saint Joseph of Rabat, Malta that was founded in 1345. Others claim that the first documented confraternity was the one under the patronage of the Annunciation in Vittoriosa, founded in 1445. The aim of such confraternities that were founded rapidly in all churches of Malta was both devotional and social. 

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza tas-Sagrament:

The Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament:

 

Insibu li fil-Mosta twaqqfu fis-sekli sbatax, tmintax u dsatax, sitt fratellanzi li l-ewwel wahda fosthom kienet dik tas-Sagrament.  Din zgur kienet twaqqfet hekk kif il-Mosta saret parrocca, fl-1608.  Fiz-zjara wisq importanti li kien ghamel f’Malta d-Delegat Appostoliku Mons. Pietru Duzzina fl-1575, insibu lid an id-Delegat kien insista sabiex f’kull parrocca titwaqqaf din l-fratellanza li l-membri taghha stess kellhom jaghmlu hilithom biex ikabbru l-qima u d-devozzjoni lejn l-Ewkaristija, wara li sab li anke f’Malta kienu dahlu certi abbuzi.  Ma setax jonqos ghalhekk li l-Mostin immexxijin mill-ewwel kappillan taghhom, Dun Gwann Bezzina, ma jwaqqfux huma wkoll fil-parrocca gdida taghhom il-Fratellanza tas-Sagrament.  Hekk kien sar f’parrocci ohra li kienu twaqqfu qabel il-parrocca taghna.

Fost hwejjeg ohra, imsehbin f’din l-fratellanza kellhom jaraw li Gesu` Sagramentat ikun meqjum kif jixraq fit-tabernaklu b’lampier jixghel lejl u nhar quddiemu.  Kellhom jaraw li l-vjatku mqaddes lill-morda jkun organizzat ahjar.  Kellhom ukoll f’kull tielet Hadd tax-xahar jiehdu sehem fil-quddiesa u fil-purcissjoni bis-Sagrament li kienet issir madwar il-knisja.  Din kienu jghidula tat-‘Terza’ u sas-sittinijiet tas-seklu li ghadda kienet ghadha ssir fil-parrocca taghna.

 

The six confraternities of Mosta were founded in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century, of which that of the Holy Sacrament is the first one. This was founded after Mosta became parish in 1608.In the crucial pastoral visit iof 1575, The Apostolic Delegate Pietro Dusina insisited that every parish should have a confraternity that propagates among its own members the devotion for the Holy Eucharist after he discovered that some abuses were committed in Malta. Therefore it is evident that the people of Mosta , led by parish priest Giovanni Bezzina established their confraternity of the Holy Sacrament. This was already done in other parishes established before that of Mosta.

 

Among other duties, the confraternity members had to check that the Holy Sacrament would be well venerated in His tabernacle with a votive lamp lit before the tabernacle day and night. They also had to take care that the viaticum for the sick would be better organized. Every third Sunday of the month the confraternity used to take part in the Mass and Sacramental Procession held around the church. This was called the ‘Terza’ procession and was still held in Mosta until the 1960’s.

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza tar-Ruzarju:

The Confraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary:

 

Kienu d-Dunmikani li lejn it-tieni nofs tas-seklu sittax taw spinta kbira ‘l quddiem bid-devozzjoni tar-Ruzarju Mqaddes. Kien ghalhekk li fil-parrocci taghna bdew jitwaqqfu, wahda wara l-ohra, il-fratellanzi ‘tar-Ruzarju’, bil-hsieb li l-imsehbin jghidu izjed ir-Ruzarju.

Fil-parrocca tal-Mosta, il-Konfraternita` tar-Ruzarju twaqqfet nhar il-11 ta’ Frar 1612. Fl-1615 kellha l-kappella taghha u sa tliet snin wara kellha diga` tletin fratell. Il-Fratellanza kienet taghmel il-festa tar-Ruzarju fl-ewwel Hadd ta’ Ottubru b’purcissjoni u din kienet terga’ issir fl-ewwel Hadd ta’ Mejju, festa tal-Madonna tal-Ward. L-istatwa tal-Madonna tar-Ruzarju li ghandna, xoghol barokk fl-injam ta’ Pietru Pawl Zahra, tmur lura lejn tmiem is-seklu tmintax, meta fil-purcissjonijiet tar-Ruzarju bidet tohrog ukoll il-vara. Ta’ min jghid ukoll li qabel il-festa ta’ Ottubru kienet issir ukoll id-devozzjoni tal-hmistax-il Sibt li kienu jigu qabel.

 

The Dominican Friars began speading the devotion to the Holy Rosary during the second part of the sixteenth century .Therefore confraternities under the patronage of Our Lady of the Rosary were established in Maltese parishes to encouarage its members to recite more the Rosary.

The Confraternity of the Rosary was established in Mosta on the 11th February 1612. It already had its own altar in 1615 and in 1618 it comprised some thirty members. Processions were held twice a year; that of Our Lady of the Rosary on the first Sunday in October and another one in honour of Our Lady of The Roses on the first Sunday in May. The wooden statue of Our Lady of the Rosary, a baroque masterpiece by Pietro Paolo Zahra, goes back to the late eighteenth century when the procession of the Rosary comprised a statue. Preceding the feast, there were fifteen devotional Saturdays to mark the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.

 

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza tac-Cintura:

The Confratenity of Our Lady of Consolation:

Id-devozzjoni lejn il-Madonna tal-Konsolazzjoni jew tac-Cintura kellha bidu fi hdan l-Ordni Agostinjan u ghalhekk l-ewwel konfraternitajiet f’gieh il-Madonna that dan it-titlu kont issibhom biss fil-knejjes Agostinjani li kien hawn fostna ghall-ahhar tas-seklu sbatax. Mill-knejjes Agostinjani, din id-devozzjoni xterdet permezz tal-fratellanzi fi tnax-il parrocca f’Malta u wahda f’Ghawdex tul is-seklu tmintax; fosthom kien hem mil-parrocca tal-Mosta.

Dik tal-Mosta twaqqfet mill-Generali ta’ l-Agostinjani, Patri Tumas Cervioni, b’digriet ta’ l-1 ta’ Dicembru 1721 u kienet sahansitra giet aggregate ma’ l-Arcikonfraternita` tac-Cintura ta’ Bologna.

Twaqqfet fuq l-artal li kien originarjament iddedikat lil Sant’ Anna. Qabel it-twaqqif tal-Fratellanza tbiddel il-kwadru ta’ Sant’ Anna ma’ dak li ghadna ngawduh sal-lum gewwa r-Rotunda li huwa xoghol mill-isbah tal-pittur maghruf Malti Stefano Errardi (1630-1716). Wisq probabbli li Erardi ta importanza lil Sant’ Anna fil-kwadru tieghu b’tifkira tal-kwadru l-qadim f’gieh din il-qaddisa li kellha artal fil-knisja parrokjali l-qadima li kellna. Il-purcissjoni bl-istatwa (l-istess wahda tar-Ruzarju) kienet issir fl-ewwel Hadd fuq it-28 ta’ Awissu, festa ta’ Santu Wistin.

 

The devotion of Our Lady of Consolation began in the Augustinian Order and at first; confraternities dedicated to Our Lady under this title were confined to Augustinian Churches through out the island. In the eighteenth century, twelve parishes in Mosta and one in Gozo had their confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation; amongst them there is one in the parish of Mosta.

 

That of Mosta was founded by the General Rector of the Augustinians , Friar Tommaso Cervioni following a decree of December 1,1721 and was aggregated with the Arch confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation in Bologna.

It was based on the Altar of St. Anne, however some years before the altarpiece was changed; a new painting depicting Our Lady of Consolation by Stefano Erardi (1630-1716) was placed on this altar some years before and is today found on the altar.

However to remind of the original painting of the altar, Erardi included St. Anne in the painting. The confraternity used to hold a procession (with the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary holding a belt instead of a rosary) on the Sunday following St. Augustine’s Day (28 August).

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza ta’ San Guzepp:

The Confraternity of Saint Joseph:

 

Fiz-zjara pastorali li l-Isqof Molina ghamel fil-parrocca tal-Mosta fl-1680 insibu li fost l-artali li kellha l-knisja parrokkjali l-qadima kien hemm dak ta’ San Guzepp imwaqqaf minn Gorg Galea.  Dwar dan l-artal insibu wkoll li wara l-vizta pastorali li l-Isqof Fra Luqa Buenos kien ghamel nhar it-18 ta’ Mejju 1668, inkiteb li sa l-1666, il-kwadru ta’ dan l-artal kien ghadu jissejjah ‘Santa Marija ta’ l-Egittu’ .  Imma minn dik il-vizta ‘l quddiem beda jissejjah sempliciment ta’San Guzepp.  Fiz-zjara pastorali li l-Isqof Labini ghamel fis-16 ta’ Mejju 1794 tnizzel taghrif dwar il-hidmiet differenti li kellhom il-qassisin tal-Mosta flimkien ma’ xi prokuraturi lajci ta’ dak iz-zmien.  Fost dawn jissemmew Tumas Chetcuti u Gamri Chetcuti bhala l-prokurature tal-Fratellanza ta’ San Guzepp.  Ma nafux ezatt meta twaqqfet din il-fratellanza, imam minn hawn nistghu nikkonkludu li kienet diga’ tezisti fl-1794.

Meta nbniet ir-Rotunda, wahda mill-kappelli giet iddedikata lil San Guzepp. Fl-1870, il-Papa Piju IX iddikjara lil San Guzepp Patrun Universal ital-knisja.  Minn haawn ‘il quddiem, id-devozzjoni lejn l-Gharus tal-Vergni Marija xeghlet u xterdet mad-dinja Kattolika kollha.  Malta ma baqghetx lura.  Fost hwejjeg ohra, il-Fratellanzi ta’ San Guzepp li kien ghad m’ghandhomx statwa tal-qaddis raw li kull wahda minnhom ikollha wahda.

Il-fratellanza tal-Mosta ordnat l-istatwa processjonali taghha ghand il-fabbrika Franciza ta’ ‘Gaillard et Fils’ ta’ Marsija.  Din saret fl-1889 u bidet tohrog fil-purcissjoni li kienet issir fl-okkazjoni tal- festa tal-patrocinju ta’ San Guzepp fit-tielet Hadd fuq l-Ghid.

 

In 1680 Bishop Molina visited the church and found out that the church had an altar dedicated to St. Joseph, established by Giorgio Galea.  Bishop Buenos also noted this altar during his visit on May 18, 1688 and he wrote that untill 1666 the altar was called 'Sanit Mary of Egypt', later it was simply called 'St. Joseph's Altar'.  When Bishop Labini visited the church on th 16th May 1794, he recorded some work doen by the priests of the parish together with some lay procurers amongst them, Tommaso Chetcuti and Giovanni Maria Chetcuti as rectors of the Confraternity of Saint Joseph.  The date of foundation is still uncertain but it seems that the confraternity already exsisted in 1794.

Following the building of the Rotunda, one of the altars was dedicated to St.Joseph.In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph a Universal Patron of the Church. This helped to spread the devotion to St. Joseph worldwide, even in Malta. Confraternities of St.Joseph that did not have a statue commissioned a one immediately.

The Mosta-based Confraternity commissioned the statue of St Joseph at the firm ‘Gaillard et Fils ’of Marseilles. This was finished in 1889 and it used to be carried out in the procession of the Patronage of St. Joseph on the third Sunday following Easter Day.

 

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu’:

The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

 

L-appostlu tad-devozzjoni lejn il-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ kien il-Franciz San Gwann Eudes li beda jqajjem din id-devozzjoni fl-1670.  Wara d-dehriet li kellha s-soru Franciza Santa Margerita Marija Alacoque gewwa Paray-le-Monial fl-1675, din id-devozzjoni kompliet tikber u tinxtered mal-knisja l-aktar permezz tal-Gizwita, Franciz ukoll, San Klawdju de La Colombiere u l-Kumpanija ta’ Gesu’.  Fl-1765 il-Papa Klement XIII ta l-permess biex tibda ssir il-festa tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ u fl-1856 il-Papa Piju IX ghamilha festa ghall-knisja universali.

Ma nafux ezatt meta din id-devozzjoni dahlet f’pajjizna.  Jdiher, li l-ewwel ftit xbihat li ghad ghandna tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ bdew jidhru fostna matul is-seklu tmintax.  Huwa car li lejn l-ahhar tas-seklu tmintax, id-dvozzjoni lejn il-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ kienet go dahlet fil-parrocca tal-Mosta.  Dan nafuh ghax wara l-vizta pastorali li l-Isqof Vincenzo Labini kien ghamel fl-1794, insibu li Tumas Dimech u Salvu Dinglli kienu l-prokuraturi tal-Fratellanza tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ u anki ghall-Adorazzjoni Perpetwa.  Tifkira wkoll ta’ din id-devozzjoni ghad ghandna il-kwadru oval ital-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ kopja ta’ dak tal-pittur Roman Pompeo Batoni, li wiehd ghadu jista’ jarah fis-sagristija fuq in-nicca tal-Vara l-Kbira.  Interessanti wkoll il-pittura ckejkna tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu’ li hemm fuq il-bieba tat-tabernaklu ta’l-artal tal-kor li hi x’aktarx xoghol ta’ Rokku Buhagiar, pittur tas-seklu tmintax u allura torbotna maz-zmien li fih dahelt fil-Mosta d-devozzjoni kejn il-Qalb ta’ Gesu’.  Fil-purcissjonijiet tal-parrocca din timxi l-hames wahda fil-precedenza mill-ahhar, ghax kienet l-ahhar wahda mill-fratellanzi li twaqqfu fil-knisja parrokkjali l-qadima.

 

St. John Eudes began spreading the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ in 1670; later the French Nun St. Margaret Mary Alacoque witnessed apparitions in Paray-le-Monial in 1675. The French Jesuit St.Claude de la Colombiere and the Company of Jesus also continued this devotion. In 1765 Pope Clement XIII gave his permission for the feast of the Sacred Heart to be held and in 1856 Pope Pius IX made it a feast for the universal church.

It is not known when this devotion reached Malta, however the first images of the Sacred Heart of Christ began to appear during the eighteenth century and it seems that during this time this devotion had already reached Mosta. This is clear because when Bishop Labini visited Mosta in 1794, there was a confraternity of the Sacred Heary headed by Tommaso Dimech and Salvatore Dingli, apart from the fact that in Mosta there was the Perpetual Adoration. In the left-hand sacristy one can find an effigy of the Sacred Heart of Christ that is a copy of that by the Roman Artist Pompeo Batoni. Very interesting is the tabernacle door of the Choir Altar that is in fact a painting of the Sacred Heart of Christ, that was done by Rocco Buhagiar during the same period; a tacit proof that this devotion did exist. While participating in processions this confraternity used to be the fifth one in ascending order according to how old the confraternity is. Therefore it is the last confraternity established in the Old Parish Church.

 

 

 

 

Il-Fratellanza tad-Duluri:

The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows:

 

Il-Fratellanza tad-Duluri fil-Mosta, kienet taghmel il-festa ta’ l-Addolorata fl-ewwel Hadd fuq il-15 ta’ Settembru, il-festa liturgika lid-Duluri mwaqqfa mill-Papa Piju VII fl-1814. Qabel din il-festa, lid-Duluri kienet issirilha ohra wkoll, fil-gimgha ta’ qabel il- Gimgha l-Kbira, li kienet izjed antika ghax kienet twaqqfet ghall-knisja universali mill-Papa Benedittu XIII fl-1725.  Hawn Malta l-ewwel Fratellanza tad-Duluri, kienet tezisti snin qabel ma kienet twaqqfet din il-festa li semmejna l-ahhar, ghax l-ewwel Konfraternita’ tad-Duluri twaqqfet f’ Hal Ghaxaq fl- 1684.

Insibu li fil-Mosta kien hawn certa devozzjoni lejn l-Addolorata sa mis-seklu tmintax, imma l-fratellanza kien ghadha ‘l boghod biex titwaqqaf ghaliex tul l-ewwel nofs tas-seklu dsatax il-poplu Mosti kien mehdi biss, tista tghid, bit-twaqqif tar-Rotunda.  Ghalhekk il-Fratellanza tad-Duluri, l-ahhar wahda fost l-fratellanzi Mostin, twaqqfet fir-Rotunda fl-1886.  Il-Fratellanza dritt hasbet ghal statwa processjonali, u skond kif jinghad, tqabbat l-iskultur Mosti Mastru Salvatore Dimech biex jaghmel statwa ta’ l-injam.  Gara, imam, li kif il-fratelli u l-prokuratur kienu raw l-istatwa ta’ San Guzepp li l-fratellanza tieghu kienet gabet minn Marsilja, thajru jgibu wahda wkoll minn hemm u hekk twarbet dik ta’ Dimech, opra fl-injam li ghadna nistghu naraw fl-Oratorju Qalb ta’ Gesu`.  L-istatwa wisq sabiha tal-kartapesta li ghandna hija xoghol ukoll ta’ ‘Gaillard et Fils’ ta’ Marsilja. 

 

This confraternity used to hold a procession in the Sunday following the 15th September ( the proper feast of our Lady of Sorrows established by Pope Pius VII in 1814). Before another procession used to be held on the Friday preceeding Holy Week that was established by Pope Benedict XIII in 1725. In Malta there was already a confraternity before the establishment of this feast; it was founded in Ghaxaq in 1684.

Even if there was already a devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows in the eighteenth century, the people of Mosta were too much preoccupied with the building of the Rotunda during the early XIX century. Therefore this last confraternity was established in the Rotunda in 1886. It is said that sculptor Salvatore Dimech was commissioned to make a statue of Our Lady from wood. However this statue did not last long as after the statue of St. Joseph was brought from Marseille, they liked the idea and brought a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows from the same firm. The old statue was abandoned for some time, but today it can be seen in the Oratory of the Sacred Heart. The statute that we fond today is a masterpiece in ‘papier – mâché’ masterpiece by Gaillard at Fils’ of Marseilles.