Kalkara

St.Joseph Parish Church

With people moving to Kalkara in the mid 19th century, the need of a church was soon felt and in 1890 one dedicated to St.Joseph was built. Kalkara became a parish eight years later and the church was dedicated in 1821. Enemy bombing demolished the church during WWII except for a belfry and a new church of the same dedication was built in a more central position this time with a dome but no belfries. The dedication date of the newer church is the 12th Dec. 1954.

Temporary Church. 

Until a new parish church was built, the civil authorities donated an old arched storage space to serve as a church and also to store what few precious items were salvaged from the bombed church. The wooden altar and the titular surround came from a property belonging to the philanthropist Cini family of Cini Institute of Sta Venera. This setup is still used as the altar of repose in the new parish church for Holy Week Triduum.

Our Lady of Good Counsel

A new Roman Catholic Chapel at Bighi Royal Naval Hospital was opened at the end of 1953 by Monsignor Emanuel Galea, Vicar General, assisted by Father A. Borg O.E.S.A the Roman Catholic Chaplain at Bighi. Before, the space used to be a wardroom annex.

Our Saviour

On the hill between Rinella and Kalkara creeks there was a very old chapel built in 1418 dedicated to Our Lord the Saviour. Grand Master La Vallette demolished it in 1565 for reason of security because of the frequency of invading Turks. The existing chapel was built by Prior Fra Giovanni Bighi on designs of Lorenzo Gafa' in 1651. It served as a parish church when bombs destroyed the church of St.Joseph during WWII. In March 2009 restoration work was finished on the extremely deteriorated stone structure with some original limestone flooring being kept.

Our Saviour.

The knights built another church dedicated to Our Saviour in the late 16th century. This chapel lies within Salvatore Gate, an old entrance to Kalkara and part of the Cottonera fortifications. It has been abandoned ever since it was hit during WWII and one can still see the hole in the ceiling made by the bomb. Many frescoes still exist, nearly intact, but at present the fort is in private hands and so it is difficult to look into the restoration of this chapel.

Sta.Barbara

This church is commonly known as Sta Liberata. In 1736 the Capuchins started building a friary and a church on the road leading from Zabbar to Kalkara. The building of the church and friary was completed in 1743 and on the 2nd August of that same year the church was blessed and opened to the public. In 1758 Pope Benedict XIV gave the relics of the martyr St.Liberata to the friars to be venerated in their church. The convent and the bell tower suffered damage during WWII, but were re-built soon afterwards. Marriages may be celebrated in the church. Its dedication date is the 18th June 1747.

St.Nicholas Bishop

Built in fort Ricasoli in 1670 by Comm. John Francis Ricasoli for whom the fort was named, this chapel served as a Parish Church for the Fort until 1898 when Kalkara became a parish. This chapel was located to the right of the main gate. Later it was rebuilt in its present central location. In 1698 the chapel was dedicated to St Nicholas, Bishop of Bari in memory of Grandmaster Nicola Cotoner. Containing five altars, the Chapel was adorned with various relics, icons brought from Rhodes, paintings by Mattia Preti, and furniture and ornaments including silverware and vestments donated by various devotees. Various papal privileges were later bestowed upon it in 1770. Nowadays it is in a neglected state. 

St.Luke Anglican Chapel

The St.Luke's Anglican Chapel was closed down when the Royal Navy Hospital at Bighi was transferred to Mtarfa. Bighi Hospital was handed over to the Malta Government in September 1970, and the painting by Giuseppe Cali of 'The Good Shepherd' from this church was donated by Surgeon Captain C.L.T. McClintock to the Parish Priest of Kalkara, Fr. Giuseppe Vella. It now hangs on the left hand wall of the Parish Church of St. Joseph. This painting dates from 1911.