Over 1,400 people take up the Curia’s invitation to visit its premises

Over 1,400 people took yup an invitation to visit the Archbishop’s Curia last weekend. The Curia had opened its doors on Saturday and Sunday on the occasion of the feast of St Calcedonius.

The public was invited to visit the Curia premises, previously known as Casa Manresa, and the restoration works currently in progress to admire its baroque architecture and several works of art that are located in the refectory hall, in the corridors, sacristy and in the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Manresa, where the relics of St Calcidonius are venerated. Guided tours will include talks on the history of the Archbishop’s Curia, the paintings that are being restored, and the pastoral and administrative work of the Archdiocese of Malta.

Over these two days, concerts were held in the central courtyard, while in the sacristy’s 16th century documents from the Diocesan Archives were on display as part of an exhibition called ‘Fragments of Faith’. On the first floor, 15 paintings by the artist Joseph Calleja were on show in an exhibition called ‘Sacrifice of the Lambs’. Visitors will also be able to participate in a treasure hunt based on the history, the building, and the paintings in the Curia.

Originally known as Casa della Madonna di Manresa, the Archbishop’s Curia is an integral part of the ecclesiastical and social history of Malta. It was built by the Jesuits in the 18th century to serve as a retreat house and continued to be used by the Jesuits for seventeen years. When the Jesuits returned to Malta in 1860, Casa Manresa was the provincial curia of the Province of Sicily for seven years.

The Order eventually stopped occupying the building in 1918. From 1858-1910 and from 1921-1977, the building served as the seminary of the diocese. It is now occupied by the Archbishop’s Curia as its central administration.