The devotion towards St Andrew the Apostle on our island
Titular painting and statue of St.Andrew in Luqa parish church
The devotion towards saints, originated when Christian faith was still in its infancy and Christians were being persecuted. Christians recognized that martyrs were of great importance, since they set an example of how to embrace faith until the end. Often people chose to worship saints that they could identify with.
On our Islands, since fishing played a big part in people’s lives, the devotion towards the apostle St. Andrew, a fisherman by trade, spread in villages such as Luqa, Marsaxlokk, Żurrieq and Xlendi. Over time the devotion towards him continued to flourish to the extent that many churches, altars, confraternities and statues were being dedicated to him. Furthermore two parishes chose him as their patron and co-patron saint, that of Luqa in Malta and that of Fontana in Gozo.
The devotion in various localities
The earliest evidence of the devotion towards the apostle St.Andrew dates back to the Middle Ages. Frescoes can be found depicting St. Andrew in the chapel of the Annunciation in Ħal Millieri and St.Mary’s chapel in Bir Miftuħ.
According to history, the great devotion towards St. Andrew in Luqa, began towards the end of the fifteenth century. Historians believe that the first settlers in Luqa were fishermen as prior to the Knights, Luqa was situated close to the port of Marsa until the marshland extending from the Grand Harbour to Qormi was drained.
A church dedicated to him was first mentioned, as being in a state of disrepair, so another was built between 1539 and 1542. During a visit to Malta by Monsignor Dusina on the 8th of February 1575, his first stop was at the main church in Luqa. In his report he wrote that it was a small church, which had no priest to administer the sacraments. The locals would bring a priest over to celebrate Mass on the feast day of St. Andrew. The high altar which was dedicated to St. Andrew, did not have a titular painting, and thus Dusina ordered one to be made. The first mention of the finished painting by Filippo Dingli was in 1600. Much later in 1778, in accordance to the wishes of the people of Luqa, a baroque statue of wood representing the Apostle St. Andrew was commissioned.
In Cospicua the devotion towards St. Andrew dates back to when Cospicua first became a parish in 1586. We know this from an old Sanctuary lamp that was paid for by fishermen to be used at the altar of St. Andrew located in the Immaculate Conception Collegiate Church. In Cospicua there is also a Confraternity dedicated to St. Andrew, that commisioned a beautiful altar and a wooden statue of the saint made by the sculptor Salvatore Psaila. Francesco Zahra painted the titular painting of the altar.
In the Basilica of St. Helena in Birkirkara there is also a Confraternity dedicated to the Apostle Andrew and a beautiful altar dedicated to him. The painting above this altar is said to belong to the school of Mattia Preti.
In Mosta there is a very old chapel dedicated to St. Andrew. Here an old painting depicting this saint is thought to be the work of Filippo Dingli. When the inhabitants of Mosta began to increase a parish centre was built to serve the spiritual needs of the parish families and it was named St. Andrew. During the tenure of Archpriest Bartholomew Bezzina a statue of St. Andrew by Marco Montebello was placed on the facade of the Rotunda of Mosta.
In Lija there is a chapel dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle. Some people think that this was an important chapel at the time when Lija was still united to the parish of Birkirkara. In the parish church there is a lovely painting dedicated to St. Andrew. In 1880 the Society of St. Andrew that provides invaluable assistance during the feast was set up in Lija.
In Zurrieq there is an old chapel built in 1634 dedicated to this apostle in the area known as Xarolla. This chapel has recently undergone restoration. The painting of St. Andrew that used to hang over the chapel altar today hangs in the Sacristy of St. Catherine’s parish church where one can admire the altar dedicated to St. Andrew which is a fine work by Mattia Preti.
In Marsaxlokk Bay, there is a wonderful statue of St. Andrew sculpted in stone and inside the parish church of Our Lady of Pompei, we also find an altar with a statue dedicated to St. Andrew.
In addition there are other altars dedicated to him in the parish churches of Żejtun, Siġġiewi and St. George in Qormi. Other paintings of St. Andrew can be found in St. John’s Co-Cathedral and in the parish church of Tarxien.
In Gozo, the devotion towards St. Andrew the Apostle is an ancient one. In Fontana, St. Andrew is considered to be the second protector of this village after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the parish church there is an altar dedicated to him and a beautiful artistic statue sculpted in 1909. In Xlendi we find a stone statue of St. Andrew facing the beach which was only recently restored. In the old Għajnsielem church, there is a lovely painting of the Apostle painted by Giuseppe Cali. In the Xewkija parish church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, we also find a statue of St. Andrew sculpted in 1906 by the firm Insam and Prinot. On the parvis of the parish church of Santa Margherita in Sannat we also find a statue of St. Andrew made by Augustine Camilleri.
Other paintings of St. Andrew can be found in the Cathedral of Gozo, in the parish church of Our Lady of Żebbuġ in Gozo, as well as several painted ceilings including those of the Xaghra Basilica.
A lot more can be said about the devotion towards this Apostle on our islands but it’s impossible to mention all.
We ask St.Andrew to give us strength to be witnesses of Christ everywhere as some of our brethren are doing beyond our shores.