St. Publius Parish Church in Floriana

This is the Parish Church of Floriana dedicated to Saint Publius,

the first Bishop of Malta.
Floriana originally formed part of the parish of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta.
Over time, this suburb grew, and the need was felt for a church separate from that of the city.

 

Therefore, it was decided that a church be built in Floriana, and on the 2nd of August 1733, the first stone of the first church in Floriana was laid by Bishop Alpheran de Bussan in the presence of Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena.

As the population continued to grow, the church underwent several transformations, principally two distinct enlargements – the first in width and the second in length.
In 1776, the Church was granted the status of Vice-Parish, and shortly after, a crypt was added to the Church. The Church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Vincenzo Labini on the 28th of March 1792 and declared an independent Parish by Bishop Mauro Caruana in 1844, now completely separate from that of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta.

During the Second World War, precisely on the 28th of April 1942, the Church of Saint Publius suffered major damage during an enemy air raid, and reconstruction work began in April 1944 under the supervision of architect Gustav Vincenti.

This church is one of the few in Malta adorned with paintings that provide a clear exposition of the history of Maltese art from the 18th to the 21st century.