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THE ICONOGRAPHY OF
ST.AUGUSTINE IN THE
MALTESE ISLANDS:
TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF PROCESSIONAL
AND TITULAR STATUES
Celebrating the return of the processional statue
of St.Augustine to the Parish, August MMII.
A post-restoration study
St.Augustine's Community Interpretation Centre,
Valletta Malta.
DR MALCOLM BORG
Contributions by Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, Fr Alex Cauchi and Perit Joseph Bezzina
FOND A ZZJ ON I SO ĊJO - KULT U R A L I A M B J EN T A LI A U G US T I N A
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A
post-conservation study
2021-2022
dedicated to Joseph Calleja ex-member
Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali
a man of great dedication
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
THE ICONOGRAPHY OF
ST.AUGUSTINE IN THE
MALTESE ISLANDS:
TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF
PROCESSIONAL AND
TITULAR STATUES
C e l e b r a t i n g t h e r e t u r n o f t h e p r o c e s s i o n a l s t a t u e o f
S t . A u g u s t i n e t o t h e P a r i s h , A u g u s t M M I I .
a F o n d a z z j o n i S o ċj o - K u l t u r a l i A m b j e n t a l i a n d
S t . A u g u s t i n e ' s I n t e r p r e t a t i o n C e n t r e p u b l i c a t i o n
p u b l i c a t i o n p a r t - s p o n s o r e d b y
A r t s & C u l t u r e V i c t o r i a a n d H e r i t a g e E n t e r p r i s e
Statue of St.Augustine returned to the parish after conservation and gilding :
Photo Credit: Ian Noel Pace
First published by FSKAA, 2022 (First post-draft edition)
St.Augustine's Community Interpretation Centre
Old Bakery Street
Valletta
VLT 1455
Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali Augustina, FSKAA ©
E-Book edition
ISBN 978-0-646-84161-8
Every effort has been made to seek permission for reproducing the images used within this
publication. We are grateful for the permission given through quoted agents.
Disclaimer:
This publication is directed for education purposes only. It is a Voluntary Organisation publication
and is not for profit or re-sale.
Design: Dr Malcolm Borg
Photography: Mr Ian Pace © (unless otherwise captioned)
Acknowledgements:
Of cials at Arts Council Malta, Fr Leslie Gatt O.S.A. Prior Provincial (Malta), Fr Alexander Cauchi
O.S.A. Parish Priest St.Augustine's (Valletta), Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, Mr Denis Darmanin, Perit
Joseph Bezzina and the above listed publishers.
Front jacket illustration:Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, Horace Farrugia
"St.Augustine processional statue", 23 August 2021.
Back jacket illustration: Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, Horace Farrugia
"St.Augustine processional statue", 23 August 2021.
Frontispiece: Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, Horace Farrugia "St.Augustine
processional statue", 23 August 2021.
VALLETTA
Contents
Restoring the Community’s Cultural Heritage
Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali Augustina p.11
1
Our Conservation Programme
Dr Malcolm Borg, Fr Alex Cauchi OSA, Perit Joseph Bezzina p.13
2
Back to basics: The pictorial record p.15
Dr Malcolm Borg
3
9 Biographies p.40
Bionote p.45
8
Carved in timber and stone p.17
4
Stylistic developments in processional statues p.21
5
Devotional and titular statues in stone p.27
6
The conservation project: development and phasing p.37
Aaron Camilleri Cauchi
7
The conservation project: interview and statement p.38
Aaron Camilleri Cauchi
8
Cupola: Mr Horace Farrugia, the gilder at the studio with the statue:
Detail of conservation work August 2022.
Photo Credit: Fr Alex Cauchi
9
Detail: St.Augustine's processional statue before conservation works and applied polychromy 2017.
Photo credit: Sebio Aquilina
10
Cultural Heritage
1. Restoring the Community’s
Conserving and investing in our cultural assets
One of the main recommendations in the Arts Council
Malta (ACM) Strategy 2025 is to “harness the full potential
of Malta’s vibrant ecology of cultural expressions grounded in
community-based activity which is localised and socially
embedded”.[i] Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali
Augustina (FSKAA) has been striving to promote heritage
and culturally community-based activity through its
centre. The initiatives and support have been vital in
spurring these actions. The enhancement and
conservation of the processional statue of St. Augustine
are signicant to the Augustinian and local communities.
It is also important to maintain tradition and support local
skills and art in all the diverse ways possible.
[i] Arts Council Malta, “Strategy 2025; Care, Create, Flourish” 2022,
https://www.artscouncilmalta.org/les/uploads/misc/STRATEGY%20
2025%20ENG.pdf.
Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali Augustina is
conserving and investing in our cultural assets. The
community’s cultural heritage is not only of local
importance but also of European significance. It is a vital
piece of history tracing the development of our City, our
society, our community and local neighbourhoods. The
context is the history and everything within this complex
and Parish.
The Rule of Augustine is one of the oldest monastic rules
in the Church, and the Augustinian brothers focused
on the foundation of community life. The Augustinian
Rule keystone is "common good" found in the Acts of the
Apostles 4:32. "The whole group of believers was of one
mind and one heart. No one claimed any of his possessions
as his own, but everything was held in common." The
community must live in harmony, "being of one mind and
heart on the way to God."
11
One of the main recommendations in the Arts
Council Malta (ACM) Strategy 2025 is to “harness the
full potential of Malta’s vibrant ecology of cultural
expressions grounded in community-based activity which
is localised and socialdded”.
Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali Augustina
The enhancement and
conservation of the
processional statue of
St. Augustine is part of a
plan to conserve this
transcendental space.
12
The conservation of the
processional statue
Spiritual and material goods are to be shared in humility.
Although this sacred art and architecture is material, it is
made to help us transcend this physical space to life
beyond. The enhancement and conservation of the
processional statue of St. Augustine is part of a plan to
conserve this transcendental space. It is another
significant step through the long local history of cultic
rituals and great devotion. We are custodians of what our
ancestors transmitted to us and what we deliver to them.
We are obliged even spiritually to transpose these ethical
and cultural values and common elements to generations.
Spirituality in today's thinking also comes as caring for the
environment, which we are trying to deliver as a
community in the long term. This assistance in funding in
very trying times has been crucial as we strive to better
our society. The restoration and interpretation plan for
St. Augustine’s Church and Priory was compiled in 2017
and is going through a review to set it within the context
of current restoration works.
Detail: Close-up gilding of the statue.
Photo credit: Fr Alex Cauchi
2. Our conservation programme
The funds and benefits for this programme
The funds and benefits directed at these heritage assets in
the Church and priory have been crucial in supporting this
long-term project which should see the most critical and
valued artefacts restored and conserved. The Fondazzjoni
Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali Augustina has been working
through the past 5 years to set priorities for restoration
and give back to the community its treasures through
greater access and the establishment of the Community
Interpretation Centre. This grant directed at the
"strengthening of artistic practice and cultural
development" has supported the FSKAA's drive and
cultural activities geared as fundraisers. The cultic and
processional statue of St. Augustine is one in a series of
works on assets @Risk. In the past three years, our
resident conservator Fr. Charles Vella, also restored a
series of titular paintings, "Our Lady of Perpetual Help",
which survived World War II. The canvas had been folded
and probably inserted in a wall for safety.The restoration
was intensive and extensive due to the considerable
damage and deterioration.
These events, which have impacted the community have been
traumatic. War and turmoil have brought loss to heritage
assets and depleted sections of the collections. Currently
the main project is the restoration of the recessed altar in
the chapel over the church choir. In the past years the
Voluntary Organisation’s energy and resources were
directed; to revamp and digitise the collection, prepare
administrative and management protocols for the
collections and prioritise restoration works. The
programme of work has been sustained by the
government throughout. Our voluntary organisation and
volunteers have benefitted from this sustained support,
for which we are truly grateful and appreciative. We
are laying the foundations for in-house facilities for
restoration through CARL and have started a pilot scheme
for training volunteers in the realm of collection care. This
year the programme was boosted by the Malta Council for
the Voluntary Sector by part-funding
the VECTOR project. VECTOR is a training programme for
volunteers addressing the needs of the Community
Interpretation Centre in 2023. The main objective of FSKAA
is to prepare for future needs and build the capacity to
sustainably maintain and conserve this collection.
The restoration and interpretation plan for St. Augustine’s
Church and Priory was compiled in2017 and is going through a
review to set it within the context of current restoration works.
Dr Malcolm Borg MPIA
Project Coordinator
Fr Alex Cauchi O.S.A.
Parish Priest and Curator
Perit Joseph Bezzina
Chair FSKAA
13
14
These events which have impacted
the community have been
signicant.W ar and turmoil have
brought loss to heritage assets and
depleted sections of the collections.
The importance of local
artistic development
There are few available and traceable records of the
introduction of the efgy of St. Augustine in the
Maltese Islands. The records are the artefacts found
in the Province's collection, and the collection holds
both pictorial and sculptural assets dating back to
the 14th century. This study analyses the latest
development in the local artistic contributions
attached to the Saint. This post-conservation report
follows through chronologically and stylistically on
the various artworks. This evaluation of artistic
works refers to European or, more specically,
Mediterranean sources. The Augustinian Order and
its patrons were inuenced by the politico-religio-
cultural events, which are the foundations of
theIslands’ chequered history.
Detail: Photos from the studio in Rabat during gilding.
Photo credit: Fr Alex Cauchi
15
3. Back to basics: The pictorial records
Dr Malcolm Borg MPIA
Project Coordinator
The rst recorded and surviving depiction of St.Augustine has been
transferred from Western Europe. In the East, Augustinian
teachings are only available in Greek since the thirteenth century.
The fresco of the Saint at the Lateran Library in Rome depicts him as
a Doctor of the Church. He is represented with scroll and book. The
complex symbols synonymous with the Byzantine style are later
additions and probably introduced in Cefalù Cathedral in Sicily in
the 12th century. The mosaic with the inscription “SANCT
AGVSTINVS” is depicted with bold lines with an imperial pallium
and holding a lavishly decorated book. He is anked by Gregory the
Great and Sylvester. (i) From Giotto di Bondone (1266/67 or 1276 -
1337) to Sandro Botticelli (1445 – 1510), the book is the principal
symbol, and writing and meditation are the recurrent themes. As
iconography and artistic styles develop, the depictions are more
complex and reect the period's theological and philosophical
achievements.
(i) Vladimir Cvetkovic, The Reception of Augustine inOrthodox Iconography,
Augustine beyond the Book (Brill 2012),
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004228580_004.
(ii) Jerusha Crone, To See a Saint: Exploring Augustine in Art,
https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/the-liberal-arts-at-wheaton-college/christ-
at-the-core-liberal-arts-at-wheaton/core-book/2018-2019-core-book-
confessions/augustine-in-art/.
One of Saint's life's earliest, most holistic approaches is the complete
cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli (1421 - 1497). It was commissioned by Fra
Domenico, an Augustinian appointed to reform the monastery around
1464 for Sant’Agostino in San Gimignano. The cycle depicts the Saint's
life from his childhood; Augustine Brought to the Grammar Master to
theTolle, Legeand theBaptism of Augustine placed above the altar. (ii)
The Renaissance brought out another aspect of the Saint, his humanity.
In Fra Angelico’s (Beato Angelico, Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, Guido di
Pietro) (1400 - 1455) Conversion of Saint Augustine the emotional aspect
of the man’s life is revealed. In contrast, the power of the Church in the
Baroque period is expressed through the magnicence of the Saint,
usually heavily draped in a swift motion and full of drama. The Saint is
represented on a monumental scale and triumphant rather than
contemplative, holding high the symbols of the Augustinian Order.
16
4. Carved in timber and stone
The icon of St.Augustine has also been transmitted to the current artistic oeuvre through sculpture, mostly in timber, marble and
stone. It is difcult to trace the earliest statue dedicated to St.Augustine but those which survived probably date back to the late
medieval or early Renaissance. An early example displaying great nesse and bravura is the limestone sculpture of St.Augustine
from France, and it now forms part of The Cloisters Collection,1926 and has been dated 1450 – 75).(iii) Although in limestone, there
are signicant traces of polychromy with red ochre and gilding surviving in parts. One of the most interesting early sculptural
representations is Spanish in provenance. It is a bas relief not in the round, showing Augustine holding the book surmounted by the
Church and City of Burgos. Although stylised, the anonymous piece in alabaster is dated circa 1500 and shows excellent mastery in
detail.(iv)
The “great” “Grande” statue of St. Augustine from the 1600 is located in the Chiesa-Rettoria di Sant'Agostino in Cagliari. The statue
is executed in a classical idiom with a slight movement and intense polychromy with gilding and intricate patterns. A gold chausable
is wrapped over a blood red damask-like alb with delicate gilt patterns. (v)
On the main entrance of the Church of San Augustín in Cádiz (1647) a more sombre St.Augustin looks out over the City Square. In
marble, it forms an integral part of the ornate marble facade. Similarly, Giovanni Travaglia (1643 - 1687) interpreted St. Augustine
(1673) in a severe and classical pose. (vi) The Saint stands high, looking at the Cathedral of Palermo from the side. It is full of realism,
contrasting the more opulent Roman creations.
One of the most popular representations of St.Augustine in stone is the one found on Charles Bridge, Prague, and it is one of 30
statues. The Saint by the Czech Baroquesculptor Jeroným Kohl (Hieronymus Kohl) (1635 - 1709) is heavily imbued with the
stylistic qualities of the time. (vii) Heavy and monumental, the symbolism is again tied to Tolle, Lege. Austere and triumphant, he
holds high the Augustinian aming heart. A more restrained style that contrasts the creations of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 -
1659) in Rome and Cosimo Fanzago (1591 - 1678) in Naples.(viii) Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Saint stands triumphantly on the Cathedra
Petri (1658 - 1666) launched by the wind of the Holy Spirit. Full of drama and movement, few have been capable of such grandeur.
(iii) J. L. Schrader, George Grey Barnard: The Cloisters and the Abbaye,(The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 1979) n.s., 37, no. 1
p. 43, g. 54, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466652.
(iv) Rijksstudio: the collection, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/BK-NM-11966.
(v) Associazione Storico-Culturale S. Agostino,
http://www.cassiciaco.it/navigazione/iconograa/pittori/seicento/cagliari/cagliari_statua.html.
(vi) Francesco Abbate, Storia dell'arte nell'Italia meridionale: Il secolo d'oro (Donzelli, Roma 2002).
(vi) ABART, Fine Art Archive, https://cs.isabart.org/person/57498.
(viii) Fondazione Federico Zeri, Universita’ di Bologna, http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda.v2.jsp
tipo_scheda=OA&id=79635&titolo=Bernini%20Pietro,%20Sant%27Agostino&locale=en%27a=0&decorator=layout_resp&apply=
true.
17
18
19
The section of a statuette of St.Augustine in limewood survives at Victoria and Albert (V&A). It is Bavarian and attributed to the circle
of the Rococo sculptor Johann Baptist Straub (1750 - circa 1760). It “probably formed part of an altarpiece... with the three other
Church Fathers, Saints Ambrose, Jerome and Gregory the Great. The elongation and colour scheme is typical of mid-
eighteenth-century Bavarian sculpture. It is painted with successive layers of white lead-based mixtures of paint in order to imitate
marble, which was fashionable at the time...”.
(viii) The British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG222736.
(ix) The Victoria and Albert Beta Collections, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O349223/st-augustine-of-hippo-statue-straub-johann-baptist/.
20
21
5. Stylistic developments in
processional statues; wood, papier
mache and fibreglass
Over the past hundred years, the iconography of St.Augustine has developed. The stylistic evolution was spurred by a
reinterpretation of the established orthodox symbolism, which is a reconceptualisation of the established icon. The processional
statue expresses the local and popular aesthetic and the spiritual imaginative. Within the strict parameters of the religious
image, the guidelines and popular aspirations, the artist and sculptor have been creative and followed stylistic developments.
The work of art has to respond or correspond to the philosophy or means set by the Church. In the Maltese Islands, the
Church Commission for Sacred Art is one of the Archdiocese's two consultative bodies tasked with advising the Archbishop on
matters related to new works of art in churches. However, this transmits to an extent the Vatican’s position on sacred art,
beauty and aesthetics.
In the post-Vatican Council II scenario, there has repeatedly been a conciliatory approach between art and artist. It is reected
tangibly in the messages sent to artists from the 1960s. A clear message was sent on 8 December 1965. It was addressed to the
artists;
“We now address you, artists, who are taken up with beauty and work for it: poets and literary men, painters, sculptors, architects,
musicians, men devoted to the theatre and the cinema. To all of you, the Church of the council declares to you through our voice: if
you are friends of genuine art, you are our friends...”
This concept has been supported by Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. The teaching of Pope Benedict XVI
focused primarily on faith and art. In his meeting with artists (21 November 2009), he considers the long-established bond between
artists sacred and faith. Whilst renewing this "Church's friendship", he promotes this "authentic and fruitful” relationship which may
be “adapted to different historical periods and attentive to social and cultural variations”.
Faith remains the destination of sacred art, and the Lumen dei re-afrms this fty years later. It “enable(s) the light of faith to
illumine our human experience from within, accompanying the men and women of our time on their journey. It clearly showed how
faith enriches life in all its dimensions...”
The latest development in the collection of processional statues of the Province is the solid mahogany sculpture which Chev Alfred
Camilleri Cauchi (b.1943) and Aaron Camilleri Cauchi (b.1979) produced. They have an active studio specialising in devotional and
sacred statuary in the traditional Maltese style. In 2011 Aaron Camilleri was engaged in the repair, maintenance and conservation of
the Statue of St. Rita. The processional statue of St.Augustine was inaugurated in 2017. A procession was organised from the Church
of Porto Salvo to the Parish. It is the only statue representing Tolle Lege, the instant of St. Augustine's conversion. It is a
contemporary representation with classical overtones. It was the rst in the Augustinian Order's history where a purely timber
sculpted statue was introduced to the locals. The stark contrast was innovative. A bozzetto for the statue was modelled in 2010.
(ix) Mauro Mantovani, Church and art: from the second Vatican Council to today (2014) 10.6092/issn.1973-9494/4744,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307839376_Church_and_art_from_the_second_Vatican_Council_to_today.
(x) Ibid.
(xi) Op. Cit. FRANCIS 2013, Encyclical Letter Lumen dei, cit., n. 6.
22
The recent composition, which has been gilded and painted, shows the Saint in papal garb moving forward. He holds high the
symbol of the Augustinian Order, the aming heart, and the crozier as he looks onto his ock with tender humility. The cherubim
carrying God's message is traditionally represented at his side holding the open book. St. Augustine recalls in his book,
Confessions: when having withdrawn in his garden, he hears a voice of an infant that repeats:
“tolle, lege, tolle, lege” “take up and read, take up and read”; and when he took the Scriptures, he found himself with the passage of
Saint Paul that exhorts him to abandon the works of the esh and to vest himself of Christ (Rom 13: 13-14). Pope Benedict XVI
explains: “He had understood that that Word at that moment was addressed to him… thus it has dissolved the shadows of doubt
and he nally found himself free to give himself completely to Christ.”
This statue is one of four which mark the stylistic trends of local sacred art and the evolution in the image of the Saint as projected
by the Augustinian Order and its parishioners. It was decided through a turn of events that the statue should be painted. The
mahogany developed stains which had to be restored. This latest development (2021-2022) marks the fourth statue in polychromy
over the past century. The works were entrusted to master gilder Horace Farrugia and Aaron Camilleri, who initially worked on the
sculpture. Arts Culture Malta part-funded the project of conserving and gilding the statue. The cost of this part of the project was
22,000 Euros. The project was two-pronged; (i) the preparation, gessoing and 'estofado' (gilded, painted and scribed decoration)
entrusted to Horace Farrugia and (ii) the application of “encarnación” (the painting of esh tones and facial expression; literally
‘incarnation’ or ‘bringing to life’) a specialised technique commissioned to Aaron Camilleri Cauchi from the Alfred and Aaron
Camilleri Cauchi Art Studio. The effect is genuinely Baroque and rich. The heavy red damask-like alb with intricate gilt patterns
reects a long tradition in the polychromy applied and the intense gilding. The pallium and mitre are also gilt with some highlights
applied to enhance the sculptural effect. Whilst making it more monumental the realism through the esh tones and facial
expression enhanced by the work of Aaron Camilleri accentuates the humble yet determined gestures of the Saint directing the
ock to the True Word.
This statue departs from the earlier documented processional and devotional statues in the Valletta Parish collection. The 12-year
project has turned out to be one of the most intense artistic expressions ever produced in the Maltese Province. There has been a
push to celebrate his image. The icon or image of the Saint is more challenging to convey locally, and the message and the cultic
signicance of St. Augustine are not readily tangible. The Saint is a theologian, philosopher and Doctor of the Church; unlike the
more locally popular Marian gures or “heroic" saints, his contribution must be studied and understood. On 23 August 2022, the
community celebrated the statue's return to the Church with Magne Pater Augustine concert dedicated to the patron saint.
(xii) Augustinians of the Province of Australiasia, St.Augustine’s Three Conversions (n.d.) https://www.osa.org.au/resources/st-augustine-three-conversions/.
23
Interpretation Panel 1 Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali: Heritage Enterprise & A&CV: All Rights Reserved.
24
Interpretation Panel 2 Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali: Heritage Enterprise & A&CV: All Rights Reserved.
(xiii) Planning Authority, Scheduled Property Register,https://www.pa.org.mt/SchResultPage
Category=3&Year=null&Locality=1&Type=null&Feature=null&Grade=null&Area=null .
25
The significance of these works in heritage terms
The rst recorded statue in the Parish dates back to the early twentieth century. The collection includes a papier-mâché statue by
Agostino Camilleri (1885 - 1979), dated 1913. Camilleri was famous for the crucixes he produced. He studied at the local School of
Art alongside Guzeppi Duca (1871 - 1948) u Guzeppi Cali (1846 - 1930). He also attended the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. His
statues show a restrained and austere classicism and his St. Augustine belongs to a bolder style determined by his academic
background and guided by early twentieth-century stylistic trends.
One of the most important developments in local iconography is expressed through Vincent Apap’s (1909 - 2003) statue. It is a timber
statue modelled as strongly as the artist's creative expression. It was produced 60 years after Camilleri's contribution and shows a
distinct change. Apap's bozzetto, later sculpted in Spain in solid timber, shows a master at work. He extracts the traditional symbolism
representing the Saint crushing heresy and reinterprets it with a modernist intensity. The statue is deceivingly Baroque and is
modernist in style and expression. The intensity is in the expression of the Saint looking out for his ock and is full of intricate detail
enhanced by the gilt elements and decoration.
There has also been a further development with the turn of the century, even in the material being used. As part of the drive to
expand collection of the statuary for the external feast in Valletta the Augustinian Order commissioned Andrew Bugeja to create a
new statue for the external feast. In 2010 Bugeja referred to the Roman Baroque examples for inspiration and emulated the
traditional masters in bre glass.
This latest work together with the collection of processional statues historically document the work of local artists from the rst half
of the 20th century to date. The value of these works is signicant because of the immediate context; the church and the City of
Valletta. The container and the contained are part of the same. The statues are as valuable as the complex. The contained works are
an extension of the architectural experience. These hold in essence intangible value because of the cultic nature as they form
an integral part of the procession and external feasts. The aesthetic projection of these sculpturesadd to the value of the Church of
St. Augustine, together with the statue of St. Augustine, the Sacristy, Priory and Oratory, is critical (Grade 1). Through
Government Notice No. 276 and under (Section 46) of the Development Planning Act, 1992, it forms part of the scheduling of
property of “the most signicant buildings, monuments and features of Valletta and includes properties in the Antiquities
Protection List, 1932, as amended in 1935 and 1939.”[xii] These assets mark the evolution and development of religious buildings in
the City of Valletta and on the Island. The statues, are traditional features of critical value which document the development of local
iconography. The works are testimony of the local vernacular, sacred art and the evolution in style and use of materials. The
group of statues reect a departure from predominant stylistic trends even though limited by subject matter. The artists form part
of a group of 19th and 20th century sculptors and gilders who imported modernist trends and transferred these to the local context.
26
2. The processional statue in 2022 after the conservation work and gilding.
Photo credit: Ian Noel Pace
1. The processional statue in 2021 with the gilt "bradella" (Maltese) predella (Latin).
1 2
27
6. Devotional and titular statues
in Maltese stone
The development local stylistic trends and the iconography of St.Augustine may be traced back to the 18th century. The stylistic
evolution was spurred by patrons attached to the local church.
Unfortunately, few documents are accessible to shed light on the development of the devotional statues of St. Augustine in the
Maltese Islands. The surviving sculptures in stone date back to the 18th century but we may have lost trace of earlier works dating
back to earlier shrines. The titular statue of the Saint in the Valletta Parish reects the inuence of Roman and Southern Italian
Baroque. This stone statue contributes to local Baroque sculpture and is a witness to excellent craftsmanship and local artistic
activity. According to Fr. G. Bonnici O.S.A, the monumental piece in limestone is by Francesco Fabri from Vittoriosa, which Fr.
Emanuel Letards dates to 1766. However, the work was not complete until the late 1780s. It seems that on 11 November 1789,
Prior Vincenz Zammitt proposed that the incomplete works are terminated, and it would be important that further investment
would be made over the committed heavy outlay. The works proposed would see the completion of the work, and the artist would
have the time to rene the sculpture as skillfully as possible.(xiv)It is not clear which works were included in the commission but
clearly the marbling effect, the gilding and other decorative works enhanced the statue and strengthened the Baroque effect.
There is not much evidence of how Fabri got inuenced by the Augustinian statues in Naples and Rome. There is a direct reference
to both the architectural developments of the churches and artworks. The inuence of Giuseppe Sanmartino (1720 - 1793) and that
of other Baroque sculptors such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Melchiorre Cafà (1636 - 1658) is evident. Fabri's response is a
more docile attempt as in the case of Giuseppe Sanmartino's monument of the Saint crushing heresy with Charity and Faith.
Although in stucco, Sanmartino creates a heavy monument but elegant without the drama of his Roman predecessors. The same
may be said of Fabri’s St.Augustine in the same pose and attire.
Contemporary to the alterations implemented to the titular in Valletta another statue was being installed on the parvis of St.
Augustine's Church in Victoria Gozo. According to Fr Peter Paul Cachia O.S.A in his book "Spirituality, Devotions & Traditions of the
Augustinian Friars in Gozo", in October 1771, Maestro Giovanni Caruana was paid 42 onze for his work in stone of the patron saint
and Our Lady of Good Counsel. The total sum for the work and transport from the quarry was 68 onze and 2 onze and 29 tari. Both
were ex-voto statues paid by parishoners; “Onze quarenta da certi devoti in confessione per pagamento delle Statue fatte, e
poste nel piano della Chiesa che questi stessi sono quelli havendoli promessi prima che fu data ordine a Mro' Giovanni Caruana per
far le dette Statue, dove adesso hanno sodisfatto il loro voto". Caruana also presents the Saint crushing heresy with the snake's head
trapped in the heavy book. Caruana and Fabri create a more controlled and sober response to the less restrained Baroque in Rome
and Naples.
(xiv) Fr Peter Paul Cachia, Arkivju Kunvent Santu Wistin, Għawdex,Libro della B.V. Del Bon Consiglio: Introito-Esito 1765-1805,f.19r
e 26r.
(xv) Fr Gulju Bonnici O.S.A., Grajjiet Agostinjani f’Malta: Minn Dokumenti -Arkivji tal -provincja (Provincja Agustina Malta 1990), 27.
St. Augustine by Francesco Fabri (1776 - 1789) in limestone.
St.Augustine's Church, Valletta (Malta).
Photo Credit: Dr Malcolm Borg
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St. Augustine by Giuseppe San Martino (1781) in stucco.
Church of Sant' Agostino all Zecca, Naples (Italy).
Photo Credit: Associazione Storico-Culturale S.Agostino (August 2022)
http://www.cassiciaco.it/navigazione/iconograa/pittori/settecento/sanmartino/sanmartino.html
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St. Augustine by Maestro Giovanni Caruana (1771) in limestone.
Church of St.Augustine, Victoria (Gozo, Malta).
Photo Credit: Fr Peter Paul Cachia
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From the Baroque to the Romantic Movement
The Baroque in uence in local art had a reverberating impact on
the Maltese Islands, possibly also tied to one of the most important
patrons of the arts on the Islands, the Church. In the 19th and 20th
centuries, this changed slightly through the introduction of the
Neo-Classical style and the Romantic movement. British
colonisation brought modernisation and industrialisation and local
artists had to adapt to patrons with a different taste. This change
influenced local architecture and art. During this period, St. Mark's
Church in Rabat was undergoing innovation works on the choir.
The works were entrusted to Giovanni Galdes and Perito
Emanuele Luigi Galizia (1830-1907), who promoted the new style
through his architectural landmark works. The works included
removing the two paintings of St.Mark by Girolamo Muziano and
that of St. Augustine by Mattia Preti to retain that of St. Mark only
as the patron Saint. The proposal accepted by the Augustinian
Community included masonry works by Lorenzo Sapiano, costing
130 pounds. The works included the installation of the marble
statue by Paolo Andrea Triscornia (1757-1833) of St. Augustine in
a niche. The painting, therefore, had to be lifted and positioned on
a higher level, so it sits above the niche. The new design made the
painting visible from the entrance and central nave, but the altar's
second gradine partly concealed the statue of St. Augustine. It can
only be fully appreciated from the choir. In 1894 t;he works
were complete, and Paolo Andrea Triscornia's St. Augustine
marked another stylistic change. The works had been delayed
and the actual statue may have been an earlier work by the
artist (1805-1818?) and possibly stored elsewhere. Trisconia is
well known for his Neo-Classical style in popular subjects
commissioned by the Russian Tzar Nikolai I. The series include;
Cupid and Psyche, Dioscuri and Diana and Endymion. Together
with Antonio Canova, Lorenzo Bartolini, Pietro Tenerani,
Luigi Bienaime, Carlo Finelli and Christian Daniel Rauch he
was one of the masters in marble sculpture. He thrived in
expressing pure classicism in the subjects chosen and how
these are rendered and expressed. Although colder in spirit
than earlier Baroque interpretations, the Saint is suave and
elegant.
(xvi) Fr Gulju Bonnici O.S.A., Grajjiet Agostinjani f’Malta: Minn Dokumenti -Arkivji
tal-provincja, (Provincja Agustina Malta 1990) 52.
(xvii)“Canova and the masters of marble on show in Carrara on the trail of the
Hermitage" 16 September 2015 Il Sole 24 Ore,
http://www.italy24.ilsole24ore.com/print/ACQlblu/0?refresh_ce=1.
St. Augustine by Paolo Andrea Triscornia (1805
- 1818 ? ) in marble.
Church of St.Mark, Rabat (Malta).
Photo Credit: Amadeo Galea Art
The Augustinan icon in the local urban context
The statue by Paolo Andrea Triscornia was one step towards a changing style. This transition may be seen tangibly in the group of four
statues the Augustinian Order commissioned between the 1770s and 1900s. In the three Augustinian Parishes, there has been a
tradition of delivering the “quattro coronati”, the four crowned saints and Augustinian heroes. In Gozo, a set was positioned in a convex
section projecting from the parvis onto the square. The four saints included; St.Liborious, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St.Augustine and
St.Nicholas of Tolentino. The impact is grand and imposing in contrast to the simple church facade in the background. In Rabat, Malta,
the urban plan and nineteenth-century intervention have achieved the reverse effect. Here the concave section slightly below the parvis
embraces the Church of St. Mark. The conguration was composed of; St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Our Lady of the Girdle, St. Augustine
and St. Anthony the Abbot. The latter two are by Marco Montebello (1915-1988) and were completed in 1957. The other set may have
been commissioned earlier. The same plan in Valletta must have been proposed, possibly with four niches at the crossroads. The set may
have also been commissioned for the church parapet. Only the bozzetti of the four saints survive. Possibly these were stored in the
crypt in Valletta. Probably the statues are pre-war, possibly commissioned in the early 20th century. It is not known whether these are
Marco Montebello's early works or by one of his relatives or patrons. At the age of 12 (1926), Marco Montebello was already working
alongside his uncle Antonio Zammit and Franġisk Saver Sciortino (1875 – 1958) in Attard (1944 – 1945). The four saints show a stylistic
change and a more Romantic style when compared to the earlier statues. Also in limestone, the cycle includes; St. Augustine, St. John
Nepomucenu, St. Liborius and St. Anthony the Abbot. Again the symbolism differs from the efgies at St.Augustine’s in Victoria Gozo and
St. Mark’s in Rabat, Malta. St. Augustine in Rabat by Marco Montebello with the child raises his hand when receiving the Word. The
subject is even more restrained and classical than his version of the external statue gure of the patron Saint on the corner of the
Church sculpted approximately a decade earlier. In the cycle of bozettos the Saint is represented holding the Church and book which
may be misinterpreted as an efgy of St. Augustine of Canterbury. In the statue of 1948 which towers over the quoin of the Valletta
Church, the dominating gure of St. Augustine is strong in intent but humble. Marco Montebello rekindles the humanity of the Saint and
in a classical simplicity, the man, the writer and the priest embraces his ock.
(xviii) E.V.Borg, Wirja ta' Skultura, Marco Montebello; Kuratur E.V.Borg, (Kunsill Lokali Ħal-Qormi, 2002).
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Interpretation Panel 3 Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali: Heritage Enterprise & A&CV: All Rights Reserved.
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Interpretation Panel 4 Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali: Heritage Enterprise & A&CV: All Rights Reserved.
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Interpretation Panel 5 Fondazzjoni Soċjo-Kulturali Ambjentali: Heritage Enterprise & A&CV: All Rights Reserved.
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St. Augustine by Marco Montebello (1948) in limestone.
Church of St.Augustine, Valletta (Malta).
Photo Credit: E.V. Borg (refer to quoted publication).
7. The conservation project:
phasing and progress
Aaron Camilleri Cauchi
Camilleri Cauchi Art Studio
10 August 2021
The conservation and enhancement of the processional statue took just over 12 months. The conservation and phases included 7
phasesextendingfrom August 2021to end August 2022.
Phase 1:The analysis, evaluation and study was made prior to the intervention. The main issue addressed was the tarnishing of the
mahogany surface.
Phase 2:The preparation phase was directed at preparing the ground and preventive work.
Phase 3:Several layers of gessoing (gesso di bologna) and (hide glue) were applied to prepare a base for the designs and gilding.
Phase 4:The gesso was then rened and the sgrafto technique applied and layers of gilders bole clay.
Phase 5: Through water technique gilding 23.75 karat gold was applied over the gilders bole clay. The next step was agate stone
burnishing.
Phase 6: The work then turned to the application of “encarnación” (the painting of esh tones and facial expression;
literally ‘incarnation’ or ‘bringing to life’) a specialised technique. This included also preparing the ground with gesso, the rening
of details and preparing the statue for polychromy.
Phase 7: Several oil based paint layers were applied to bring out the esh tones and detailing. Over this, a protective layer
was applied to conserve the delicate layers applied.
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Aaron Camilleri Cauchi
Camilleri Cauchi Art Studio
23 August 2021
Il-Vara Titulari ta’ Santu Wistin l-Ħsiebtal-Artisti
Il-vara titulari ġdida għall-parroċċa ta’ Santu Wistin l-belt kapitali Valletta, hija mnaqqxa -injam tal-kawba u turi lill-qaddis patrun
Santu Wistin, iben Santa Monika. F’din il-vara huwa jidher liebes ta’ isqof minħabba li kien isqof ta’ Ippona, belt ewlenija tal-Afrika
Rumana, illum Annaba - Alġerija. L-abiti sagri, li jinkludu s-suttana, l-ispellizza, il-pjaneta u l-istola, imkien mal-mitra, mhumiex
kontemporanji iżda huma tas-seklu erba’ mija, iż-żmien li h proprju għex Santu Wistin. Il-mitra hija waħda baxxa, kif kienet tintlibes
f’dik l-era, u fuqha hemm skolpiti l-erba’ Evanġelisti. Apparti minn dekorazzjoni, dawn ifakkruna f’kemm Santu Wistin kien ixandar u
jipprietka l-Vanġelu ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Sabiex ikompli jindika r-rwol tiegħu ta’ isqof, f’idu x- xellugija Wistin qed iżomm il-baklu.
Dan huwa l-għasluġ tar-Ragħaj it-Tajjeb li jqaddes lill-poplu t’Alla, jgħinu jitgħallem il-veritajiet tal-di u li jmexxih t-triq it-tajba lejn
il-Mulej. Il-pjiegi u l-panneġġi -abiti sagri jagħmlu l-vara waħda movimentata. Fuq kollox, il-gura ta’ Wistin ukoll tindika moviment
peress li qiegħda tagħti pass ’il quddiem permezz tas-sieq ix-xellugija maħruġa ’l barra. Din il-mixja tindika kif Santu Wistin dejjem
mexxa t-tagħlim ta’ Kristu ’l quddiem. Fil-fatt, huwa kien teologu u losofu Kristjan tal-bidu. Huwa wkoll wieħed mill-erba’ Santi
Padri ewlenin tal-Punent kif ukoll wieħed mill-guri ewlenin tal-Knisja tar-raba’ seklu. B’idu l-leminija merfugħa ’l fuq, Santu Wistin
bħal donnu qed isellem u jagħti glorja lil Alla l- Missier. F’din l-id huwa proprju qed iżomm is-simbolu tiegħu li fuqu hija bbażata ħajtu.
Din il-qalb bi fjamma ħierġa min-naħa ta’ fuq tagħha, tissimbolizza d-devozzjoni li kkaratterizzat ħajtu. Din l- istess devozzjoni hija
espressa l-ħarsa tax-xbieha għaliex hija waħda devota, ħanina u mimlija mħabba bħalma jaf jagħti missier twajjeb. Għalhekk, il-bixra
tal-wiċċ bħal donnha qed tikkwota dak li Santu Wistin stess kien jistqarr, li “l-imħabba hija s-sbuħija tar-ruħ”.
Maġenb ix-xbieha ta’ Santu Wistin, hemm gura ta’ anġlu ċkejken. Il-poża ta’ dan il-puttin tindika li kien qiegħed jittajjar qabel waqaf
jistrieħ ħdejn Wistinu. Filwaqt li idu l-leminija hija mgħollija ’l fuq u mqabbda mal-baklu tal-isqof, l-id ix-xellugija hija mniżżla ’l isfel u
qiegħda tħaddan magħha ktieb. Bla ebda dubju is-simbolu tal-ktieb jindika li Santu Wistin huwa wieħed mid-Dutturi tal-Knisja.
Hawn ta’ min isemmi li l-kitbiet tiegħu ħallew impatt fuq l-iżvilupp tal- Kristjaneżmu u l-losoja tal-Punent. Il-vara titulari ġdida
għall-parroċċa ta’ Santu Wistin l-belt kapitali Valletta, hija mnaqqxa -injam tal-kawba u turi lill-qaddis patrun Santu Wistin, iben
Santa Monika. F’din il-vara huwa jidher liebes ta’ isqof minħabba li kien isqof ta’ Ippona, belt ewlenija tal-Afrika Rumana, illum
Annaba - Alġerija. L-abiti sagri, li jinkludu s-suttana, l-ispellizza, il-pjaneta u l-istola, imkien mal-mitra, mhumiex kontemporanji
iżda huma tas-seklu erba’ mija, iż-żmien li h proprju għex Santu Wistin. Il-mitra hija waħda baxxa, kif kienet tintlibes f’dik l-era, u
fuqha hemm skolpiti l-erba’ Evanġelisti. Apparti minn dekorazzjoni, dawn ifakkruna f ’kemm Santu Wistin kien ixandar u jipprietka l-
Vanġelu ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Sabiex ikompli jindika r-rwol tiegħu ta’ isqof, f’idu x- xellugija Wistin qed iżomm il-baklu. Dan huwa l-
għasluġ tar-Ragħaj it-Tajjeb li jqaddes lill-poplu t’Alla, jgħinu jitgħallem il-veritajiet tal-di u li jmexxih t-triq it-tajba lejn il-Mulej. Il-
pjiegi u l-panneġġi -abiti sagri jagħmlu l-vara waħda movimentata. Fuq kollox, il-gura ta’ Wistin ukoll tindika moviment peress li
qiegħda tagħti pass ’il quddiem permezz tas-sieq ix-xellugija maħruġa ’l barra. Din il-mixja tindika kif Santu Wistin dejjem mexxa t-
tagħlim ta’ Kristu ’l quddiem. Fil-fatt, huwa kien teologu u losofu Kristjan tal-bidu. Huwa wkoll wieħed mill-erba’ Santi Padri
ewlenin tal-Punent kif ukoll wieħed mill-guri ewlenin tal-Knisja tar-raba’ seklu.
8. The conservation project:
interview and statement
38
B’idu l-leminija merfugħa ’l fuq, Santu Wistin bħal donnu qed isellem u jagħti glorja lil Alla l- Missier. F’din l-id huwa proprju qed
iżomm is-simbolu tiegħu li fuqu hija bbażata ħajtu. Din il-qalb bi fjamma ħierġa min-naħa ta’ fuq tagħha, tissimbolizza d-devozzjoni li
kkaratterizzat ħajtu. Din l- istess devozzjoni hija espressa l-ħarsa tax-xbieha għaliex hija waħda devota, ħanina u mimlija mħabba
bħalma jaf jagħti missier twajjeb. Għalhekk, il-bixra tal-wiċċ bħal donnha qed tikkwota dak li Santu Wistin stess kien jistqarr, li “l-
imħabba hija s-sbuħija tar-ruħ”.
Maġenb ix-xbieha ta’ Santu Wistin, hemm gura ta’ anġlu ċkejken. Il-poża ta’ dan il-puttin tindika li kien qiegħed jittajjar qabel waqaf
jistrieħ ħdejn Wistinu. Filwaqt li idu l-leminija hija mgħollija ’l fuq u mqabbda mal-baklu tal-isqof, l-id ix-xellugija hija mniżżla ’l isfel u
qiegħda tħaddan magħha ktieb. Bla ebda dubju is-simbolu tal-ktieb jindika li Santu Wistin huwa wieħed mid-Dutturi tal-Knisja.
Hawn ta’ min isemmi li l-kitbiet tiegħu ħallew impatt fuq l-iżvilupp tal- Kristjaneżmu u l-losoja tal-Punent.
Fl-ikonograja, l-anġli dejjem jintużaw biex jgħaqqdu dak li huwa divin ma’ dak li huwa uman. Dan għaliex apparti li jaqdu
dmirijiethom lejn Alla, ir-rwoli tal-anġli huma li jħarsu lill-bnedmin u jmexxuhom t-triq it-tajba. Sabiex tinħareġ aħjar din ir-rabta
bejn dak li hu divin u uman, dan il- puttin issawwar b’idu l-leminija mgħollija ’l fuq lejn is-smewwiet lwaqt li x-xellugija hija mniżżla ’l
isfel donnha qed turi lid-dinja tagħna. Permezz tal-gura ta’ dan il-puttin ċkejken, jasal il-messaġġ ta’ San Bażilju l-Kbir, li “kull
Nisrani għandu ħdejh anġlu bħala protettur u ragħaj tiegħu ħa jwasslu għall-ħajja”.
Din il-vara ta’ Santu Wistin proprju żżanżnet nhar l-1 t’Ottubru 2017. Ta’ min jgħid li damet ħames snin titgwada -istat naturali
tagħha tal-injam tal-kawba u ha wieħed seta’ jii bosta dettalji. Madankollu, dawn id-dettalji ma tnaqqxux sabiex aħna nagħtu qima
lill-injam li minnha ssawret iżda sabiex jgħinuna nirriettu fuq dak li qiegħda tirrappreżenta. Il-vara hija strument li tgħinna niftakru
f’dak li ma nistgħux naraw jekk immissu. San Bażilju ta’ Ċesarija qal li “l-qima li tingħata lix-xbieha tmur għall-qima ta’ dak li tiegħu hi
x-xbieha”. Għalhekk, bis-saħħa tas-sengħa tal-iskultura -injam nistgħu nitqarrbu aktar lejn il-patrun Santu Wistin, għaliex kif kien
jistqarr huwa nnifsu “l-di hija li temmen dak li ma tarax; il-premju ta’din il-di hu li tara dak li temmen”.
Matul dawn il-ħames snin saru diversi diskussjonijiet kemm mal-Provinċja Agostinjana kif ukoll mal-Induratur is-Sur Horace
Farrugia sabiex il-proġett tal-vara jkun komplut min-naħa ta’ induratura u dekorazzjoni. U proprju din is-sena huwa ta’ sodisfazzjon
kbir għalina li ser naraw din il-vara lesta mill-induratura. Ringrazzjament speċjali jmur lejn il-Provinċja Agostinjana u lejn kull min
kien involut sabiex dan il-proġett seta’ jkun komplut. Matul din l-aħħar sena l-istatwa ta’ Santu Wistin ittieħdet anke biex tinżebah u
ssir l-induratura meħtieġa biex hekk tkun statwa verament kompluta kif tassew jixraq lil statwa titulari. Ix-xogħol sabih tagħha -
injam għal mument kważi kien iħajjrek tħalliha fuq l-injam, iżda mill-banda l-oħra ma kenitx tkun statwa verament kompluta u l-ħsieb
sa mill-bidu kien li tkun miżbuha u ndurata. Għal dan ix-xogħol tqabbad is-Sur Horace Farrugia tal-Imdina li huwa artist ta’
esperjenza kbira f’dan il-qasam. Huwa ħadem b’reqqa kbira fuq il-kisi bil-ġibż u imbagħad l-induratura u l-iżgraffjar skond il-
panneġġjar u l-ilbies tal-gura sabiħa ta’ Santu Wistin. Ix-xogħol tal-karnaġġjon sar mill-artistAaronCamilleriCauchili imkien
ma missieru Alfred kienu l-iskulturi tal-istatwa. Dan il-proġett sar bil-kollaborazzjoni tal-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Arti. Ħajr lil dawk
kollha li b’mod jew ieħor kienu ta’ għajnuna. Għall-grazzja t’Alla l-festa ta’ din is-sena nkunu nistgħu inżanżnu l-istatwa kompluta u
nimxu magħha t-toroq tal-Belt kapitali tagħna.
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9.Biographies
Artists’ Biographies for the Processional Statues Collection
St.Augustine’s Parish, Valletta.
Agostino (Wistin) Camilleri (1885 - 1979)
Agostino Camilleri was born in Rabat Gozo to Joseph and Cathrine nee Bonnet from Żejtun. His interest started at a very early age.
At age ten, he entered the Seminary and was taught art and design by a Jesuit Brother.[i] He continued his training at the School of
Art in Malta under Giuseppe Duca (1871 - 1948) and Giuseppe Calì (1846 – 1930). He continued his artistic training in Rome at the
Accademia di San Luca where he spent three years and gained signi cant training in the art of papier-mâché under the guidance of
Filippo Coppa (?). He specialised in the technique and established a workshop in 1909. Amongst his best works are; the Sacred Heart
of Jesus (1920/3s), Our Lady of Graces and Our Lady of Sorrows (1919). The processional statue of St.Augustine (1913) for the
Valletta Parish is one of his earliest and most classical contributions to the development of local statuary. Agostino Camilleri is well
known for his cruci xes and Good Friday processional statues. He was honoured by Pope Paul IV with the title of Commander of the
Order of the Knights of St.John.
Alfred Camilleri Cauchi (b. 1943)
Alfred Camilleri Cauchi was born in Victoria Gozo. His interest in sculpture started at an early age, and in 1957 he was
given a scholarship by Lady Laycock, the wife of Malta's Governor at the time, and became the rst Maltese to study at the
Edinburgh College of Arts. He was 24 when he nished one of his great works the Via Sagra masterpiece in marble, at Ta' Pinu. He
was awarded Knight of Honour for this work by the Spanish Ordine Reale Della Corona Balearica. The artist has been very
active in religious sculpture through the years with contributions in devotional and sacred art throughout the local parishes in
various materials; monuments in bronze, statues carved in wood, marble, concrete, limestone and papier-mâché. He is the first
Maltese sculptor to make breglass statues. Highly prolific in his field he established a studio and workshop with his son Aaron
Camilleri Cauchi. In 2006 he was awarded the title of Honorary National Advisor by Italy's International Academic Order Greci -
Marino.[ii]
[i] Fr Herman Duncan O.Carm., Agostino Camilleri the famous sculptor from Gozo, 8
June 2017 Malta Independent,
https://www.pressreader.com/malta/malta-
[ii] Sculptor awarded title in Italy, 25 April 2006 Times of Malta, https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/sculptor-awarded-title-in-italy.56132
Artists’ Biographies for the Processional Statues Collection
St.Augustine’s Parish, Valletta.
Aaron Camilleri Cauchi (b.1979)
Aaron son of Alfred Camilleri Cauchi has been working as a sculptor, restorer and conservator since 1995. He was a supervisor and
manager for the restoration works at Palazzo Parisio. He worked in Naples, Italy at the Fonderia Storica Chiurazzi (2005) through
collaborations in the artistic eld and as creator and conservator of bronze monuments. In 1995 he established an art studio with
his father, and they collaborated on various monuments and sculptures. He has worked on the conservation treatment of wooden
and papier-mâché statues, most of which are processional and titular statues. In 2011 he was commissioned to restore the statue of
St. Rita at St.Augustine’s Church Valletta and subsequently was engaged with his father to work on the processional statue of St.
Augustine. In 2021 he was licensed to exercise the profession of conservator–restorer.
Camilleri Cauchi Art Studios
The studio was jointly formed in 2019, and the two artists have worked together on over 50 statues for Good Friday, Our Lady of
Sorrows and Risen Christ processions.“Chevalier Alfred Camilleri Cauchi and his son Aaron have several works linked to Holy
Week, including statues forming part of Holy Week processions in Rabat, Ħal Qormi, Paola, Żejtun and Ħal Għaxaq; various statues
of Marija Addolorata and Christ the Redeemer, the marble Way of the Cross on Għammar Hill in Gozo, and 16 statues of the Risen
Christ. Their works are also found abroad. Alfred sculpted a full set of Holy Week statues for Horsley Park, close to Sydney in
Australia. Aaron worked on three statues for Ragusa Cathedral in Sicily and a Risen Christ in Bavaria, Germany.”[i]
[i] Alvin Vassallo, Alfred and Aaron
Camilleri Cauchi with a unique new statue for Malta for Ħal Qormi parish, April 2021 TVM, https://tvmnews.mt/en/news/alfred-and-aaron-camilleri-cauchi-with-
a-unique-new-statue-for-malta-for-hal-qormi-parish/.
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Above: Alfred Camilleri Cauchi
Below L: Aaron Camilleri Cauchi. Below R: Agostino (Wistin) Camilleri
Photo Credit: Camilleri Cauchi Art Studios
(https://www.facebook.com/CamilleriCauchiArtStudios/photos/pb.100063458135489.-2207520000../3732476506818735/?type=3 and
https://www.facebook.com/WistinCamilleri/photos/205108246293421)
Vincent Apap (1909 - 2003)
Vincent Apap was born in Valletta in 1909. He was the oldest of three brothers, with musician Joseph Apap and the painterWilliam
Apap. In 1920 he began to attend evening classes in modelling and drawing. He was one of the rst students to enrol in the newly
established School of Art in 1925, where he studied sculpture under Antonio Micallef (1883-1894). In 1927, he won a scholarship to
the British Academy of Arts in Rome, studying under the renowned Maltese sculptorAntonio Scortino. He returned to Malta in 1930
and soon won his rst commission, the Fra Diego monument in Ħamrun. This work, together with the bronze statue of Dante Alighieri
(1965) and that of Sir Paul Boffa (1976), are the most signi cant contributions of the artist in Malta's history. He received several
awards, including; Member of the Order of the British Empire (1956) and the Gold medal of the Society of Arts, Manufacture and
Commerce (1965). He was also nominated a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Maltain 1963. During his career, he had some
notable patrons, including Governor Sir Harry Luke and Lord Mountbatten. Apap was appointed assistant modelling teacher at
the School of Art in 1934, becoming head of school in 1947. He remained there until his retirement in 1971.[i]
Horace Farrugia (b.1945)
Horace Farrugia is a master gilder who inherited his grandfather and father's skill, talent and artistry. Today he also shares a studio
with his son Kevin. Generations of artists and gilders with works spanning from the late 19th century to the present day. Horace was
born in Mdina in 11 August 1945 of Manwel Farrugia and Gużeppa Pulis. He was introduced to the art and craft of gilding at the age of
15 through his father, Manwel Farrugia (1865-1937).[ii] He has been active and prolific with an established studio in Mdina in
Villegaignon corner with Mesquita Street. Horace Farrugia works quietly, intently and with great patience. This comes out even in his
character as he builds layer upon layer, applies intricate engravings, and applies sgraffito with minute and mathematical precision. (As
a child I used to visit his studio and watch whilst he was working on a statue or artefact, or take a look through the shop window
during occasional visits to our relatives in Mdina).[iii] This studio has seen several works, including the re-gilding of Agostino
Camilleri's Sacred Heart of Jesus. Horace has worked on several statues of Our Lady for the Parishes of; Dingli, Naxxar, Imtaħleb and
the Cathedral in Gozo. He has also decorated and gilded the statue of St. Sebestian in Qormi. In 1986 he was commissioned to clean
and re-gild the statue of St. Joseph of Rabat dating back to 1890 and based on the designs of Luigi Fontana. He worked jointly with
Karmenu Azzopardi (b.1935).[iv] One of his recent works includes the gilding of the processional statue of Christ the King from the
Paola Parish (2000 – 2003).[v]
[i] Michael J. Schiavone, Dictionary of Maltese biographies, Vol I - A-F, (2009).
[ii] E.V. Borg, Horace Farrugia, 15-12 July 1986 ll-Ħajja.
[iii] Recollections from the author’s childhood (Dr Malcolm Borg) visiting the studio with his father.
[iv] Anthony Casha, L-istatwa ta’ San Gużepp tiġi rrestawrata, n.d. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/68068/1/L-
Istatwa%20ta%27%20San%20Ġużepp%20tiġi%20Restawrata.pdf.
[v] George Cini, Christ the King statue revamped, 17 July 2003 Times of Malta https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/christ-the-king-statue-revamped.145505.
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Left: Vincent (Censu) Apap
Right: Horace Farrugia
Photo Credit: (Right) The People of Malta https://m.facebook.com/thepeopleofmalta/photos/ta-8-snin-ġa-kont-niġi-hawn-man-nannu-l-ewwel-
kien-hawn-in-nannu-imbagħad-missie/882872728480886/ and (Left) Times of Malta 16 Feb 2003
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/death-of-vincent-apap.156555.
Malcolm Borg is a planner by profession and training and holds a PhD in planning and urbanisation from the
University of Leeds, UK. He won a scholarship in heritage management, with research undertaken at La Sapienza in
Rome and Turin. He lectured in heritage management and economics of heritage at; the Institute for Conservation
Management and Cultural Heritage (ICMCH) and Planning and Environment for the University of Malta and
coordinated ateliers in conjunction with; MCAST, University of Dundee and Anhalt University. He was also
engaged in contingent valuation research at Imperial College, London. Malcolm worked in the planning sector for
over 26 years and is currently a consultant based in Europe and Asia. He works for various Local Councils
specialising in regeneration, planning, heritage management and related funding. He has compiled Development
Briefs and Action Plans for the Dock No. 1 Project in Cottonera (12 M Euro) and the Vertical Connection in
Valletta (1.5 M Euro) which he coordinated. He was also responsible (in cooperation with the Union Internationale
des Architectes) for the International Competition and Planning Brief for the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Heritage
Park (WHS) and the compilation of the Harbour Forti cations submission and Tentative List for Malta UNESCO
Sites. In the past three years, he compiled assessments for the HUL Implementation Plan for Ballarat City (Victoria,
Australia) and is currently coordinating the Process Map for HUL for the South East Region (Malta). Malcolm has
been a Thematic Expert for the past decade compiling Action Plans and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans under
the URBACT Programme. Malcolm is a member of the National Trust (Victoria) and is Director at Arts and Culture
Victoria directing mostly International funded programmes. He served as a Global Advisor and regional
liaison at UN Global Cities Compact Programme (2013-2021). He has developed the SCOPE Brief and
Action Plan. He is currently coordinating the SCOPE Project ERDF 05.113 and multiple projects for
the establishment of St.Augustine's Community Interpretation Centre. He is a reviewer and researcher at
ORCID and the Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development. Some of his
publications include; "The South East Region: Core of a Nation-State" and "British Colonial Architecture: Malta
1800-1900".
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