The Four Passion Canvases and the Eighteenth-Century Oratory of the Holy Crucifix in Senglea

Jonathan Farrugia is a priest and Head of Department of Church History, and

Adjacent to the basilica of Our Lady of Victories in Senglea, one finds the early eighteenth-century oratory dedicated to the Holy Crucifix, where the renowned effigy of the Redentur is kept. However, there is more to the oratory than this statue. Upon entering from its main doorway found in Crucifix Street, the visitor is struck by four large canvases by Senglea-born artist Francesco Vincenzo Zahra depicting four moments from the Passion of Christ: the agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, the crowning with thorns, and the falling under the cross. Francesco is not the only Zahra whose work can be appreciated in this oratory; his father, Pietro Paolo, carved all the stonework that can still be seen today.

Archaeology at the University of Malta. He obtained his doctorate from the Augustinian Institute (Rome). Apart from early Christian texts his primary research interest is archival research related to local religious artefacts. His main contribution in this field is his landmark publication on the miraculous effigy of Christ the Redeemer of Senglea.

Together with the work of these artists, there is the contribution of others which make this oratory a true treasure trove, rightly described as ‘the most splendid eighteenth-century oratory dedicated to the Passion of Christ in Malta’,1 putting fully on display the high artistic taste that was at home in early eighteenth-century Senglea.

The building and the decoration of the Oratory

In the seventh chapter of the statutes of the Confraternity of Holy Crucifix, founded in 1715,2 one reads that the members had to meet every Friday for communal prayers.3 The small chapel they had in the church proved to be too small for the increasing number of members, and therefore, in June 1725, the Confraternity got permission from Grand Master Vilhena to buy two houses and an alley close to the church to build an appropriate oratory in their place,4 and also to dig a crypt underneath.5

Construction work started in 1727 and was completed in late 1730; the master mason was Giacomo Bianco who received the first payments in February 17286 and the last in November 1730.7 Intertwined in the lists of payments to Bianco there are notes of other payments made to ‘slaves’8 and also to the sculptor Pietro Paolo Zahra9 as well as his son Francesco,10 and also to the marmista (marble cutter/sculptor) Claudio Duranti.11

Some time after the building was completed, due attention was given to the decoration of this new sacred space. One of the first artefacts to be added was the enormous crucifix that was placed in a stone niche found on the main altar. This wooden masterpiece was brought from Rome in 1736 by the confrère Francesco Varios who gave it to the oratory on condition that if it was ever removed it had to be given to the Capuchin Friars.12 This seems to have been taken quite seriously till as late as the mid-twentieth century because photographs exist of the bombed oratory with the crucifix still in place.

Notarial documents prove that Pietro Paolo Zahra was commissioned by the Confraternity to decorate the walls of the newly built oratory within four years for 400 scudi on 16 February 1731.13 According to the expenditure records of the Confraternity it seems likely that the main wall was left for the last. The niche which eventually held the crucifix is surrounded by a stunning reredos showing two enormous angels, one on each side of the niche and other smaller ones all around, with the Eternal Father surrounded by rays in the apse. For this, Pietro Paolo was paid 175 scudi on 3 January 1734, so the work must have been carried out the year before.14 The final instalment of the 400 scudi was made on 30 August of that same year;15 the Confraternity members must have been extremely satisfied because they donated Zahra a further 40 scudi as a gift on 17 March of the following year.16

The works done so far did not include the six life-size angels carrying the symbols of the passion, which were commissioned om 24 April 173717 and sculpted in stone by the end of May 1738; these were inspired by Bernini’s angels found in Rome on Ponte Sant’ Angelo, and for them he was paid 50 scudi.18 They were placed on stone plinths around the oratory, three on each side.19 Between these two sets of three angles the four canvases by Francesco were placed at roughly the same time, for these are mentioned for the first time in the earliest description of the oratory found in the Pastoral Visitation report of 1739 by Bishop Alpheran de Bussan.

The oratory is described as a long and wide building with two small domes and a number of windows with stone frames to let the sunlight in. Apart from the mentioned works of the Zahras, the report states that high up, close to the vault, there were four small paintings of the evangelists, and it also mentions the presence of the coat of arms of Grand Master Vilhena and Bishop de Bussan. All around the walls, except the one behind the main altar, there were wooden seats to be used by the members of the Confraternity during prayers.20

The oratory, with its exquisite paintings and fine sculpture, forms a harmonious unity wherein architecture, stone carving and painting are intertwined following the models set by the Roman Baroque artists whose reputation had reached Malta during this period. The harmony in the execution of different art genres at the Senglea Oratory proves this,21 because it combines ‘several different elements from the Roman Baroque artistic repertoire, associated with Bernini, in order to create an interior decoration which captures the spirit of theatricality of the age.’22

In 1754, a small painting showing a portrait of Our Lady of Sorrows is mentioned for the first time, and is reported to be found underneath the crucifix.23 In June of that same year, the committee of the Confraternity decided to demolish the sacristy and build a new one24 to store the cartapesta effigies of the Passion by Saverio Laferla between

1742 and 1744, which replaced the mannequin set that had been acquired between 1716 and 1719.25 The financial reports for this project range from June 1754 till February 1757, where even the price of the glass bought for the niches of the new statues is given.26

During the eighteenth century, the Oratory of the Holy Crucifix became a cherished spot not only by the members of the Confraternity but also by the clergy and the populace in general. The most devotional image in it at this point was still the great crucifix, and in fact exvoto paintings depicting it date from as early as 1745.27 By 1765, the ground was covered with marble, and eventually antependia, silver sanctuary lamp holders, and candlesticks were purchased or minted in order for the oratory to lack nothing.28 Most notable of these is the brocade antependium that was made between 1775 and 1778 which had to be used only for the altar of the Crucifix on its feast day. The material was bought from Lyon for the price of 75 scudi.29

In 1781, the relics of St Victorius were brought from some catacomb in Rome by the confrère Pietro Attard.30 In 1788, these relics were put in a reliquary-statue, a korp sant, and special celebrations were held in Senglea on Pentecost Sunday when this reliquary-statue was put in a marble urn on the high altar, where it lies till this day.31 It has also been recorded in the minutes of the Confraternity that, from 1786, the oratory was used by the newly installed canons for the collegiate chapter meetings till the aula capitolare was built.32

After this event, no notable novelty was recorded in the oratory till 1802, when Pope Pius VII granted permission for the feast of the Holy Redeemer to be celebrated a week after Corpus Christi;33 this proves that the main attraction in the oratory was no longer the crucifix but the Redentur.

(Courtesy of Atelier del Restuaro)

The four canvases by Zahra

As mentioned earlier, the passion paintings by Francesco Zahra immediately attract the attention of whoever visits the oratory. Zahra was born in 1710; when the oratory started to be built, he was seventeen and most probably had been under the artistic tutorship of Gio Nicola Buhagiar for a couple of years34 while still working with his father as a stone sculptor.35 One of his earliest works was the small painting of the Assumption of Mary found in the choir of the parish church of St Catherine of Alexandria, in Żejtun, dating from 1730. Throughout the early 1730s, the young Zahra was commissioned for more paintings in Żejtun and in Żurrieq, where he worked alongside his father in the church of St James.

According to the recently discovered payment records of the Confraternity of the Holy Crucifix in Senglea, it emerges that he worked on these four canvases in the late 1730s. The exact year of their commission and execution is not known; no records were found, unfortunately, neither in the Parish archives nor in the Notarial archives, so maybe Zahra might have been working pro bono for the Confraternity of his hometown of which he and his father were members. However, it is presumably accurate to say that they were painted around 1738. The stone and stucco decorations that run along the walls of the oratory, including these paintings’ stone frames, were completed by his father by the beginning of May 1738, because that is when he received his payment, while we know that the four paintings were in place by 25 May 1739, when they were seen by Bishop de Bussan during his pastoral visit. Thus, they must have been put there between May 1738 and May 1739. Seeing that the two Zahras worked in tandem on other projects, such as the mentioned church of St James in Żurrieq and other altars, it is not surprising that they worked together even in their hometown’s oratory.

In 1738, the artist was on the threshold of reaching artistic maturity, which is evident in his works from 1740 onwards.36 Thus, these four paintings carry more stylistic weight than his earlier works, while at the same time lack the exquisite refinement seen in works that came soon after. Despite this, in them one can see some unmistakable similarities to figures found in later, major, works.37

The four episodes are represented following traditional motifs. However, due to the size and shape of the canvases, the theme of each painting takes up most of the space, with large figures and hardly any background details. Zahra takes advantage of this to create some stunning details in the facial expressions and body postures. The general tone of all the paintings, except the one depicting the agony in the garden, is that of violence; all the men surrounding Christ have bloodlust imprinted on their faces, be they mocking, beating, fastening ropes, pulling the broken man back on his feet to carry the cross, or even just watching. The only sign of compassion is found in two figures helping Christ carry the cross; these could be Simon of Cyrene and, judging from the military outfit, Longinus.38

An interesting oddity which can hardly be explained or justified is that, despite the violent scourging on Christ’s pale body and the crown of thorns being pressed into his head, there is no hint of blood, except maybe a little on Christ’s uncovered shoulder while carrying the cross. Could it be that Zahra did not want to overwhelm the casual visitor to the oratory?

One final word goes to the significant contrast between the light-coloured39 stonework and the much darker paintings. When the decoration project of the oratory was concluded, it seems that the final outcome was to the effect that the four paintings by Zahra were the true

‘protagonists’—along with the great crucifix on the main altar—because in the peaceful environment created by the subtle colours of the walls these paintings cannot but stand out.

The conservation and restoration of Zahra’s paintings

The cycle of four paintings depicting the passion of Christ by Francesco Zahra were in an advanced deteriorated state of conservation due to war damage, water infiltration, and past renovation interventions. The conservation and restoration project was aimed at protecting and preserving the original identity—of which these paintings are a clear and fundamental expression—of the internal decoration of the basilica’s oratory.

The four canvas paintings were dismantled from their masonry recess and transferred to the Atelier del Restauro laboratory where the project started through a thorough documentation session. The first step was to assess from a structural point of view the auxiliary frames. Even though the auxiliary frames were manufactured with expandable keys, these were no longer expandable, as they had been fixed with nails in several points at the corners. In addition, in the past, all the paintings were lined with a new canvas support, found to be too brittle while the animal glue used as an adhesive had completely lost its adhesive quality. One of the paintings presented further damage, because besides the old lining, newspaper and stucco were later added to infill a loss of the canvas. This functioned as a patch, which is an indication that past interventions were not very accurate.

The conservation structural treatment commenced with securing the paint layer through facing, followed by a long mechanical removal of the lining canvas and of the adhesive used in the past. Once the previous interventions had been removed from the paintings, the aim was to conserve and re-establish the original canvas support. Work proceeded with the consolidation of the original canvas through a synthetic adhesive, which re-introduced elasticity to the canvas fibres. A thermoplastic consolidant, re-activated under vacuum, was chosen precisely because the canvas used by Zahra in the past, as well as its preparation, were very sensitive to water.

The losses of the canvas support as well as the seams were treated using canvas inlays of the same size as the losses present, followed by patches of synthetic fabric. Originally, each painting was composed of two canvas pieces attached at a seam. The seams were reinforced using a bridging method, ensuring a more secure hold. Due to the very fragile state of the canvases, a relining intervention was necessary, whereby a secondary-sized canvas support is attached to the back of the painting by means of a thermoplastic adhesive, using a vacuum table.

The old auxiliary frames, which were not original to the paintings, were replaced with new stretcher frames, which are structurally more stable, specifically designed with more crossbars and expandable edges to better support the paintings.

With respect to the treatment of the pictorial layers, from the front of the paintings it was evident that the paint layer was detaching from the support in many areas. In some cases, the detachments had already become actual losses of the original paint layer, for example in the painting depicting Christ falling under the cross. In many areas, the gesso was applied on top of the original paint layer, together with overpainting. The later additions had altered completely over time and had covered the original composition of the painting, especially in the background. Additionally, the varnish coating present had oxidised and darkened in colour. Some of the paintings in the cycle, for example the Ecce Homo, had in the past undergone inadequate interventions. Unfortunately, this painting has suffered from several detachments and tenting paint (caused by the paint layer shrinking). Losses of the original paint layer were consolidated using animal glue by means of insulin syringes and a heating spatula.

After several cleaning tests, a cleaning intervention was carried out following modern principles of conservation and restoration, using a cleaning gel which could carefully remove the oxidised varnish whilst retaining the original patina.

Finally, following the careful removal of old stucco and re-infilling and re-integrating the losses, the paintings were varnished using a satin finish, re-establishing the paintings’ legibility. Through this intervention not only were the original colours brought to light, for example the white drapery of the angel as well as the flesh tones, but several interesting background elements were also revealed, for example: the garden and the pathway in the painting depicting the agony in the garden, the cell with a window in the Ecce Homo, the candlestick and arches in the scene of the flagellation, and the mountains behind Christ in that depicting the fall under the cross. Following the removal of the overpainting, several important details were revealed, such as the original face of Simon of Cyrene in the painting showing Christ’s fall under the cross, and the mercenary with his tongue out, whipping Christ in an attitude of contempt, in the Ecce Homo. left column: Figs 7-8

Today, the four paintings of the oratory, honouring the artist’s original intention, can be appreciated and admired by the Maltese public.

Valentina Lupo obtained a degree in conservation and restoration of paintings and polychrome sculptures (Malta). She is one of the directors of Atelier del Restauro; the studio has been entrusted with several important conservation and restoration projects of national importance such as the Madonna tal-Mellieħa and Damaxxena icons, and the miraculous statue of Christ the Redeemer of Senglea.

Maria Grazia Zenzani obtained a Diploma in Restauro di Tele, Tavole e Sculture Lignee Policrome (Firenze) and a degree in Tecnologie per la Conservazione e il Restauro dei Beni Culturali (Ravenna). Before moving to Malta, where she founded Atelier del Restauro with Valentina Lupo and Simon Dimech, she had several years of experience in Ravenna, Bologna, and Firenze.

The painting of the Crowing of Christ with Thorns during and after the cleaning process removing previous interventions and varnish, showing the original paint layer losses. (Courtesy of Atelier del Restauro) right column: Figs 9-10

The painting of the Crowing of Christ with Thorns during conservation: the consolidation of the paint layer. (Courtesy of Atelier del Restauro)

Notes

1 Keith Sciberras, Francesco Zahra 1710–1773. His life and art in mid-18th-century Malta (Malta: Midsea Books, 2010), 44.

2 Jonathan Farrugia, ‘Senglea’s Holy Redeemer and the other Misteri: a historical reappraisal from new documentary sources’, in Jonathan Farrugia, ed., Ir-Redentur. History art and cult of the miraculous effigy of Christ the Redeemer at Senglea, Malta (Malta: Midsea Books-Senglea Collegiate Chapter, 2019), 43.

3 SPA [Senglea Parish Archive], Regole della Veneranda Confraternità della Carità e SS.mo Crocifisso della Città Senglea, Capitolo VII Dell’Oratorio e Congrez.ne, 1.

4 SPA, Miscellanea, Supplica, 27 April 1725.

5 Ibid., 7 October 1727.

6 SPA, Esito (1715–1740) della Confraternità della Carità e SS.mo Crocifisso, f. 107.

7 Ibid., ff.128, 132. Giacomo Bianco was also active in the works at the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament, Żejtun. See Giulia Privitelli, Il-Knisja Parrokkjali ta’ Santa Katerina ta’ Lixandra fiż-Żejtun (Malta: Wirt iż-Żejtun, 2020).

8 Ibid., f. 118.

9 Ibid., f. 125.

10 Ibid., ff. 163, 168, 172, 174.

11 Ibid., f. 130.

12 SPA, Libro Mastro A della Confraternità della Carità e del SS.mo Crocifisso, f. 62.

13 NAV [Notarial Archives, Valletta], Not. F. Alessi, R. 14/7, ff. 684-685; retrieved from John Debono, ed., Documentary Sources on Maltese Artists. Pietro Paolo Zahra (1685–1747) and his son Fancesco Vincenzo (1710–1773) (Malta, 2010), 155.

14 Esito (1715–1740), f. 168.

15 NAV, Not. F. Alessi, R. 14/7, f. 685, marginal note.

16 Ibid. R 14/11, f. 764, marginal note.

17 NAV, Not. V. Marchese, R 343/36, ff. 752-753.

18 Ibid., f. 208.

19 One of these was destroyed during the war when the oratory was bombed in 1941. Between 1949 and 1950 it was replaced by another statue made by Carmelo Robinich, but this had to be removed because the Archdiocese’s Giunta per la tutela delle antichità ecclesiastiche demanded that it be removed because it was ‘artisticamente oltremodo scadente e indecorosa per l’ambiente’; See Jonathan Farrugia, ‘Ir-rikorsi preżentati millArċikonfraternità tal-Kurċifiss wara l-ħerba tal-gwerra. L-ewwel parti: 1946–1952’, Programm tal-festa ta’ Marija Bambina (Senglea: Kummissjoni Festi Esterni Marija Bambina, 2017), 77-80. It was eventually replaced by one by Marco Montebello in 1952.

20 AAM [Archbishop’s Archives Malta], Visitatio de Bussan, f. 1068.

21 Gabrielle Agius, ‘Pietro Paolo Zahra and the Roman Baroque Manner at the Oratory of the Crucifix, Senglea’ (unpublished dissertation; B.A. (Hons) in History of Art, University of Malta, 2014), 17.

22 Ibid., 62.

23 Libro Mastro A, f. 107.

24 SPA, ‘Consulte (1716–1790) della Confraternità della Carità e del SS.mo Crocefisso’, Consulta 94, f.28.

25 Farrugia, ‘Senglea’s Holy Redeemer and the other Misteri’, 64-67.

26 SPA, Esito (1741–1776) della Confraternità della Carità e del SS.mo Crocefisso, ff. 171-179.

27 Fabian Mangion, ‘Maritime ex-voto paintings: linking seafaring and faith’, The Sunday Times of Malta, 9 April 2017, 58-59.

28 Libro Mastro A, ff. 131-154.

29 Ibid., f. 141.

30 SPA, ‘Consulte (1716–1790)’, Consulta 218, f. 97, marginal note.

31 SPA, ‘Consulte (1716–1790)’, Consulta 248, f.106r.

32 Alexander Bonnici, L-Isla fi Ġrajjiet il-Bażilka-Santwarji ta’ Marija Bambina, Vol. 2: Seklu u nofs ta’ storja li wasslu għall-ġieh ta’ Kolleġġjata Insinji (Malta, 1986), 353. Senglea’s parish church was raised to the dignity of a Collegiate by the papal bull Exigit apostolici oficii issued by Pope Pius VI on 21 May 1786.

33 AAM, Visitatio Mattei, 167. The feast consisted of a sung mass with a panegyric; no external celebrations or processions were included. The procession was introduced after the vow of 1813.

34 Sciberras (2010), 31.

35 Ibid., 35.

36 Ibid., 61 ff.

37 In a speech given when the restored paintings were inaugurated Dr Sandro Debono pointed out that the kneeling figure on the left of Christ in the Crowning with Thorns canvas is almost identical to the kneeling figure of St Joachim in the enormous canvas showing the Presentation of the Virgin found in the choir of the basilica of Senglea, dated to 1741. In my view, the facial profile and hair composition of the comforting angel in the Agony in the Garden canvas, with its elongated nose, high forehead, and highlighted lips, is identical to the archangel Gabriel in the Annunciation canvas, also found in the basilica’s choir.

38 According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, dating from the late fourth century, Longinus is the soldier who pierced Christ’s side with a lance and eventually converted to Christianity; according to later traditions he died as a martyr.

39 Samples of the various paint layers on the walls of the oratory were extracted by Atelier del Restauro in 2019 and it was stated with certainty that the original paint layer was a very light grey.