Parish Church of
St. Gregory the Great in Sliema
At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Sliema was growing constantly. Therefore it needed schools, places of entertainment, roads, and even a church to gather the community. The bishop of that time Mons Maurus Caruana saw to it to have a new church where buildings had been rising profusely inspite of the nearby church of Sacro Cuor was made a parish in 1921
The community initiated fund-raising activities, and the first stone was laid on 20th August 1923. Unfortunately the work was so hindered by too much digging to lay the foundation, that the financial resources were depleted quickly. Work was stalled, and the church had to rely on benefactors for quite a number of years. Nevertheless, the bishop supported the project generously and from 1936, the work took a quicker pace until it was finished in 1941, albeit it was a time of war when poverty would be a stress on all.
The architect was Godwin Caruana Galizia and the master mason was Carmelo Mifsud. The church’s style is neo-romanesque, in the form of a cross, with a central aisle and another on each side.
The church was blessed by the bishop himself on 30th November 1940 and later consecrated by the successive bishop Mons Michael Gonzi on 29th September 1949.
St. Gregory the Great – The statue of Saint Gregory the Great, was commissioned to Angelo Righetti from Brescia -Italy. The statue was sculpted in wood and was completed in 1952. The statue represents Pope Gregory with Papal tiara, a Bible in his left hand that represents the Gospel, with the right hand is imparting his blessings. The dove on the right shoulder is representing the Holy Spirit. As according to popular legend, Gregory was directly inspired by the Holy Spirit when he composed his homilies.
At the back of the statue, there is an inscription in Greek that commemorates the generosity of benefactor Alfred Vella who financed the commissioning of this statue.
During the year 2010, the statue was decorated with a new pedestal and mahogany plinth, these where commissioned to AC Carvings -Malta.
In 2015, during the year of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Parish, Monsignor Charles Jude Scicluna Archbishop of Malta, presented a relic of the saintly pope which was acquired from Rome and encased within the pectoral cross that decorates the patronal effigy.