Parish Church of Jesus of Nazareth in Sliema

The origin of this church came from an idea of three brothers, all priests, who would spend their summer vacation in Sliema, then a modest seaside resort. Basing themselves in a private chapel, they would take care of the spiritual needs of the residents of the area.As the community grew, so did their needs, and they sought permission from the military engineer who oversaw the Tigne barracks for permission to accommodate these needs. Unfortunately, permission was not granted. 
However, soon after the brothers died, their descendants, the Marquis Zimmerman Barbaro and his wife, took up their relatives’ wishes and decided to build the church on their property. Permission was granted and on the 5th April 1893 the foundation stone was laid and blessed by the Archbishop Pietru Pace and dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth. 2 years later, in July 1895, the church was consecrated.

In April 1909 the church was bequeathed to the Dominican Order who were given the responsibility of taking care of the spiritual needs of the Sliema community.

The beginning of the 20th Century saw a growth in construction, particularly along the coastline, and the population grew by 25% over previous years.

The church was now too small to serve the community’s needs and so in January 1913 a committee was formed and was responsible for the building and funding of a new church to replace it.

Five years later, the architect Benjamin Cordwell presented plans for the new church and the adjacent convent. This was approved and construction began in 1922. However, soon after, mounting costs and a lack of funds ground the project to a halt. In 1938, on the insistence of the Dominican clergy, work was renewed, this time under the guidance of the architects Wigi Borg And Guze D’Amato who replaced Cordwell after the latter was called up by Military Command. The plans were altered in order to raise the ceiling as well as to add two corridors either side of the nave. Construction of the church was progressing at a good pace, when war struck.

Malta was assailed by ariel bombardments and in March 1942, the church was struck by a bomb which destroyed much of the building. The sacristy, ceiling, the high altar and some of the pillars holding up the ceiling, as well as the titular painting of Jesus of Nazareth, all fell victim to the bombing.Work was finally restarted in February 1945 and much of the necessary repair work was carried out by funds made available by the War Damage Commission.