The Church of Our Lady of Damascus is a Greek Catholic Church in Valletta, in Malta, observing the Byzantine rite. It is also called Id-Damaxxena.
Original Church The original church was built upon the request of Giovanni Calamia to house the icon of Our Lady of Damascus brought over from Rhodes by the Knights of St John when they were expelled from the island by the Ottoman Empire. By 1580 the church was finished. In 1587 the Icon of Our Lady of Damascus was solemnly transferred from Vittoriosa to the new church."Valletta", malta-canada.com, Malta. Retrieved on 08 June 2014.
Present Church On March 24, 1942, during one of the bombings of Valletta, the Church of Our Lady of Damascus was hit and completely destroyed. Many icons were lost under the debris of the church. It was because of the initiative of Italo-Albanian Papàs Gjergji Schirò from Piana degli Albanesi, that the Church was rebuilt and reconsecrated on August 15, 1951, by Archbishop Georgios Halavazis. "71 years ago: The Destruction of the Greek-Catholic Church in Valletta.",. Retrieved on 08 June 2014.
Present use The church is mainly used by the Catholic community of the "Greek rite" of Malta for Divine Liturgy. The church is also used by the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, and now the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, by Armenian Orthodox Church, by Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox and Belarusian Orthodox."Orthodox Churches in Malta" , Archdiocese of Malta, Malta. Retrieved on 01 June 2014.
See also
Culture of Malta History of Malta List of Churches in Malta Religion in Malta
References
External links Official website Official Facebook page ld-Damaxxena - knisja u xbiha The Virgin of Damascus in the Greek Catholic Church, Valletta, Malta The Shared Veneration of a Miracle-Working Icon Conservation and Restoration The Bronze and Iron Door at Our Lady of Damascus Church in Valletta Ikona tas-seklu 12 se tiġi restawrata Restoration of the venerable icon of Our Lady of Damascus The ancient Marian icons of the Greek Catholic Church of Our Lady of Damascus in Valletta, Malta The restoration of the icon of Our Lady of Damascus Miraculous icon of Our Lady of Damascus restored Restawrata ikona mirakoluża li għandha 1,000 sena