The Church of Our Lady of Atocia in Hamrun was built in 1630 to replace a small nearby medieval church dedicated to St. Nicholas, which was abandoned and declared secular in 1575.
History, Art, and Preservation
Located on an almost square floor plan, this church stands out for its Spanish-style façade, characterized by a wide portico with three arches topped by a stone balustrade and a triangular pediment with two bell towers, whose bells were consecrated in 1947. The main portal, framed by a Baroque frontispiece with Tuscan pilasters, leads to an interior where the walls support a ribbed vault resting on nine arches. The sacred space features a high altar and four side altars dedicated to St. Lawrence, St. Nicholas of Bari, St. Joseph and the Holy Family, and St. Charles Borromeo, all located in arched niches with lateral columns. In the 1950s, the temple was beautified with a new marble floor that replaced the old stone paving.
The artistic and devotional heritage of the temple includes ex-votos in thanksgiving and paintings by prominent artists such as the French knight Fra Antoine Favray and the Gozitan Paul Camilleri Cauchi. However, the central piece is the titular painting of Our Lady of Atocia, popularly known in Maltese as "Tas-Samra" due to the dark skin of the Virgin Mary. This work, in ancient Byzantine style, is a copy of an image from Madrid brought to Malta in 1630 by the merchant Giuseppe Casauri, who sought a place of veneration for this devotion as part of a vow also connected to his wife Isabella, a survivor of the Great Siege of 1565.
To ensure the permanence of this legacy, a project co-financed by the European Union has carried out comprehensive conservation actions on the structure and bell tower. These interventions have mitigated the deterioration caused by the elements and pollution, which were jeopardizing its structural and aesthetic integrity, ensuring that this historic building in the heart of the community can be enjoyed by future generations.
