St Catherine's Old Church, Żejtun

St Catherine's Old Church (Maltese: Knisja ta' Santa Katerina l-Antika), also known as St Gregory's Church (Maltese: Knisja ta' San Girgor), is a Roman Catholic church in Żejtun. The church and its complex sit towards the outskirts of the town, commanding views over Marsascala Bay, St Thomas' Bay and Marsaxlokk harbour. The church is colloquially known as Saint Gregory's due to a traditional procession held on the first Wednesday following Easter Sunday. Its dedication to Catherine of Alexandria dates back to an original chapel on this site, which was one of the eight mother churches on Malta. The church stands next to the three cemeteries of Żejtun, dedicated to St Rocco, St Gregory and St Catherine. The church's functions as the parish church of Żejtun were taken over by a new parish church, also dedicated to St Catherine, and designed by Lorenzo Gafà. The present day church was built on the site of an older 15th century chapel, also dedicated to St Catherine, along with an adjacent private chapel dedicated to St Mark and St Jacob. Late medieval texts prove that the church became a landmark for seafarers. Over the years, the chapel was restructured and enlarged, with the demolition of the adjacent private chapel. The extensions included the construction of a transept and a dome. The present day façade was probably altered in the 17th century, with the addition of a Renaissa

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).