Museum

The Carmelite Church and Priory Museum has recently been opened to the public. It offers a unique and innovative experience as it is the only monastery in Malta that has opened its doors to welcome regular visitors.

This initiative is the end product of two exhaustively intensive years of restoration that have brought this seventeenth century priory back to its former glory. The extensive structural work that has been done in the priory itself can be properly appreciated in the stunning cloister constructed around an idyllic courtyard. Walking around the cloister one is lead into the different areas of the priory which the friars would use and which now form part of the museum.

The highlight of the place is undoubtedly the Refectory where the friars would congregate for communal meals. It is a rare example of the Baroque concept of the total work of art, where painting, sculpture and architecture come together to create a harmonious whole. Regular concerts are held in the refectory, the proceeds of which will go towards the restoration of the paintings and the breathtaking ceiling of this room which is a masterpiece of ornamentation. On either side of the refectory are the pantry and the kitchen with an original stone stove. Here one can delight in a variety of antique tools and utensils that were used in the priory and that date back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Other areas provide further insight into the everyday communal life of the Carmelite friars. The friars would gather at different hours of the day to pray in the Oratory which still houses the original first wooden gilded altar of the church that was made in 1670. The painting of the Virgin of Mount Carmel with St Simon Stock is an interesting work by Mattia Preti in which one can study the contribution of his assistants and which was venerated in the church until the nineteenth century.

In the Chapter Hall the Carmelites would assemble around the large table to discuss and decide upon important issues. A notable painting in this room is the St Cecilia from the workshop of Mattia Preti. This used to be divided in two parts as it adorned the outside of the doors of the organ in the church. Also interesting is the small bozzetto of the dome of the church signed by the artist Santi Cacciaguerra. The items of Maltese furniture in the Chapter Hall have recently been restored, as have the two beautiful Baroque display boxes with statuettes of Carmelite Saints.

Opened for viewing is a typical friar’s cell. It testifies to the simplicity of the contemplative life of a religious order. It features only the basic furniture and necessities required by a friar, to conduct a life of solitude and prayer. Adjacent to the cell is a bier which was used to carry the bodies of the dead friars to the crypt since it was not customary for friars to be placed in coffins.

While making their way to the church one can appreciate a small selection of liturgical vestments. Made by cloistered nuns, these feature exquisitely intricate patterned embroidery. A selection of ecclesiastical silver has also been put on display. This includes a number of chalices, water stoups, a monstrance, a reliquary, a thurible and a missal which are now used only during specific liturgical celebrations such as the feast of the Virgin of Mount Carmel in July.
The most significant silver piece is the altar frontal of the Virgin of Mount Carmel. This replaced the original one that was stolen by the French in 1798. It was executed by a particular technique where sheets of silver are hammered onto carved wooden moulds. It is utilized in the church only during certain feasts.

A number of devotional items are on display in the sacristy. These include paintings, pieces of sculpture and other small objets d’art. Annexed to the sacristy is a room reserved for the priest and attendants to vest and prepare in prayerful silence before the celebrating of the Sacred Liturgy. Of notable importance is the lavabo, a theatrical piece of sculpture that was used for ritual cleansing.

The museum is connected to the Carmelite Church from behind the altar. Its arresting impression lies in the fact that it was built to an elliptical shape which creates a very harmonious and welcoming space for congregation and prayer. Here, one can appreciate the extensive restoration projects that have been undertaken. The paintings in the choir, including the impressive titular of the Annunciation by Stefano Erardi have been thoroughly restored. The dome above the choir is still undergoing restoration, while the main elliptical dome of the church was finally unveiled last March after years of intensive intervention.

Among the most notable paintings in the church are the two works in the large main chapels executed by Michele Bellanti in the mid-nineteenth century. Bellanti was a very competent artist known mostly for his numerous small topographical works representing the Maltese islands. There are also six works by Giuseppe Calì in the church, with the Virgin of Sorrows being a very poignant and devotional work. Finally, the statue of the Virgin of Mount Carmel that is taken out in procession in July, is a triumph of Maltese sculpture. This eighteenth century statue, executed by the little-known Maltese sculptor Andrea Imbroll, is in excellent condition despite its age.