Church of the Jesuits

Church

Church · Valletta, Malta 35.8996°N 14.5166°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Church of the Jesuits

Best time

Outside Mass timesWeekday Mass 10:00, 12:00

Season

Mon to Fri08:00 to 16:00

Access

Merchants StreetNear Magisterial Palace

Opening hours

What are the opening hours of the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta?

The Jesuits' Church Foundation lists 08:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday. No roaming is allowed during a Mass or other event.

Lunchtime

Is the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta closed at lunchtime?

Not on weekdays, when the listed hours run straight through the middle of the day. The noon Mass does stop visitors walking around while it lasts, and at weekends the church closes at midday.

Paintings

Which paintings are inside the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta?

The altar paintings include works by Filippo Paladini, Battistello Caracciolo, Mattia Preti, Francesco Romanelli and Giuseppe d'Arena. Nicolo de Simoni and Stefano Erardi are also represented.

Location

Where is the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta?

The church stands on Merchants Street in the centre of Valletta, next to the Old University Building. The Jesuits' Church Foundation gives the same Merchants Street address for its own office.

Mass times

What time is Mass at the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta?

Mass is at 10:00 and 12:00 on weekdays and on Saturday. Sunday has Masses at 7:45 and 8:45, followed by the sung Traditional Latin Mass at 10:30. The foundation that runs the church posts the schedule on its home page.

Weddings

Can couples marry at the Church of the Jesuits in Valletta?

Yes, in limited numbers. The Jesuits' Church Foundation accepts a limited number of bookings for wedding Masses, and dates are arranged through its office on Merchants Street, on +356 2722 1241.

There is painting from two centuries in the chapels of one of Valletta's largest churches, and you can follow it from late Mannerist work through Caravaggist canvases to the High Baroque.

What makes it special

The church's full name is the Church of the Circumcision of Our Lord, and it is also known as the Church of the University. The Jesuits built it between 1593 and 1609.

The altar paintings are the reason to come. Look for The Circumcision of the Lord by Filippo Paladini, The Return from the Flight to Egypt by Battistello Caracciolo and The Escape of St Peter from Prison by Mattia Preti.

Two more altar paintings show Jesuit saints: Francesco Romanelli's Apparition of the Holy Trinity to St Ignatius Loyola, and Giuseppe d'Arena's Our Lady and the Child Jesus with St Ignatius Loyola and St Francis Xavier. Works by Stefano Erardi and Nicolo de Simoni are here too.

Next door stands the Old University Building, the original campus of the University of Malta. It still houses university departments and is used for some lectures and conferences.

Visiting

It is a working church, and the Jesuits' Church Foundation allows no roaming while a Mass or event is on. If one is under way when you arrive, take a seat at the back until it finishes.

Weekend opening ends at noon, so a Saturday or Sunday visit has to fit into the morning. Saturday keeps the weekday Mass times, and Sunday has three morning Masses.

Once the church is quiet, walk up the nave and stop at each chapel, where the altar paintings hang.

Tips

To hear the sung Latin Mass, come on Sunday at 10:30. The church is home to Malta's Latin Mass Society, which also celebrates it on special feast days.

If you are also visiting St John's Co-Cathedral, compare the two. The foundation that cares for this church holds that it equals the cathedral for the quality of its paintings.

The foundation also puts on a free season of concerts and public lectures in the Oratory of the Onorati, at 21 Archbishop Street. Its website lists the dates.