Balzan church to get total exterior makeover

The 17th century church in Balzan that took a quarter of a century to be built, is getting its first total exterior makeover, one wall at a time. The church, whose architect remains unknown, is in the common Latin cross shape, however, it was built in the post-Tridentine era, just as baroque was being introduced locally. So while the building was influenced by the Doric and Tuscan architectural styles, the dome is of baroque influence. It was later decorated by the renowned Giuseppe Calí in the late 19th century. The building of the church started in 1669, as the number of inhabitants kept increasing and by 1667 there were about 550 people living in 140 houses, with the old church of the Annunciation being too small for the increasing population. Throughout the years, the interiors such as the stone wainscoting were refurbished through regular maintenance, but more than 300 years since its construction, the parish embarked on a large project in a bid to conserve the church's exterior historical heritage. Some 40 years ago sporadic interventions were carried out on parts of the exterior, but when Fr Karm Farrugia was put at the helm of the parish in 2014, he found that plans...

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