There is still devotion to St Alphonse in Birgu. Dr Simon Mercieca briefly traces the history of a painting of this saint which was recently restored and which is now hanging in its original place at Birgu Parish Church

The painting was in a very bad condition of preservation with the result that it had to be subjected to a complex intervention which was coordinated by Dr Simon Mercieca. The restoration work was carried out by Joseph Muscat, who brought to the offing the extraordinary quality of this religious painting, its texture and colours.

This painting dates back to the early 19th century. It was eventually acquired by Giuseppe Bonnici who donated it to the Birgu Parish Church in 1861. On stylistic evidence, one can say with a relative amount of certainty that it is not by a Maltese painter and the technique and colours used point out that perhaps it could be the work of a Flemish painter or a painter who was under Flemish influence.

The reasons for such a bequest can be varied, but Bonnici’s real motivation still needs to be established. However, it could have been prompted by the type of special relationship that the church of Saint Laurence had established with the Inquisition or to the historic ties that this city had with the Bishop’s Curia, (which, at the time, hosted the Bishop’s prisons). The painting might have also been the simple bequest of a pious soul who commissioned or bought it after being struck by the Saint’s virtues or in recognition of a favour received, to honour the followers of St Alphonse.

The portrait of St Alphonse follows the traditional Roman Catholic pattern normally associated with this particular saint – a man wearing the robes of a bishop, clasping a silver cross, while his facial expression radiates sadness and submissive devotion to Christ at the same time.

This painting was the subject of great devotion. Once installed in the church, Bonnici remained the person responsible for the care of this painting and as its procurator, he worked hard and even obtained a 40-day indulgence from Bishop Pace-Forno in favour of those who stopped in front of this image and recited a Pater, Ave and Gloria.

From current documentation, available at the Curia, it transpires that the picture’s position in the chapel of Saint Joseph, increased the devotion of the townsfolk. Due to its location, this picture suffered damage during the Second World War. The church cupola collapsed after being hit by enemy action and the painting, which was on one of the pillars that supported the dome, suffered collateral damages due to its vulnerable position. Additionally, it may have been hit and punctured by the falling debris. This damage had to be repaired.

Due to its devotional character, candles were lit in front of the picture. It was customary for long candles to be used with the consequence that some wax dripped onto the canvas and had to be removed. The smoke from the candles accumulated over the years onto the surface of the painting obliterated iconographical details. The cleaning process required that, all this dirt was patiently removed and the painting cleaned.

The painting has now been installed in its historic place, at the chapel of St Joseph, in the Parish Church of Birgu where the general public can once again admire this work as it looked in its original state, when it was donated to the Birgu Parish Church in the middle of the 19th century.

The history and the restoration work undertaken on this painting are the subject of a forthcoming study by Dr Simon Mercieca, which will be published in the prestigious Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti publication entitled Treasures of Malta. The title of this study is The Birgu Painting of St Alphonse Maria De Liguori: A Journey in the History of Popular Religion in Malta, and deals on the influence that the cult of St Alphonse had in the Cottonera area and tries to explain why it was so popular in 19th century Malta.

Dr Mercieca is the director of the Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta. He graduated Ph.D. from the Sorbonne. His thesis received the highest mark that a Jury could allocate to a Ph.D. thesis in France.