The Church of Our Lady of Victory - An appeal to save Valletta's first church

Conservation of the Alessio Erardi Ceiling Paintings by The Courtauld Institute of Arts is sponsored by the HSBC Malta Foundation

The greatest treasure of Victory Church is its vault ceiling painted by the Maltese baroque artist, Alessio Erardi in 1716 depicting episodes from the Life of the Virgin. This is what the vault looked like in 2004 when treatment by Conservators from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, began, coordinated then by the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee.
The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, is world leader in the teaching of history of art and conservation of wall and canvas paintings. Between 2004 and 2008 their conservators saved 'The Immaculate Conception', 'The Assumption' and 'Victory' Segments of the ceiling. They continue today to work on the enormous challenge of saving the rest of the vault together with Din l-Art Ħelwa.
View the Map of the Alessio Erardi Vault Paintings, and see the sequence of images from the Life of the Virgin by Alessio Erardi who painted these between 1716 and 1718.
Senior Conservator Lisa Shekede at work on the vault.
'The Assumption' before and after treatment and conservation.
'The Immaculate Conception' before and after treatment and conservation.
Cartouche segment before treatment and conservation.
The Archangel Gabriel emerges, detail from 'The Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple', before and after conservation.
'The Patriarch Simeon' before and after conservation, detail from 'The Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple'.
'Victory' after treatment, an allegorical representation on the ceiling by Alessio Erardi.
AWAITING RESTORATION - Coat of Arms of the Bailiff of Majorca de Montesque who funded the baroque façade in 1752
AWAITING RESTORATION - Coat of Arms of Grand Master de Perellos who commissioned Alessio Erardi to decorate the ceiling of the church in 1716
AWAITING RESTORATION - Coat of Arms of Grand Master Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca who ordered the embellishment of the church in 1742
AWAITING RESTORATION - Coat of Arms of Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette, who built the Church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin in 1566 in thanksgivng for his victory over the invading fleet of Suleiman the Magnificent