Rotunda of Mosta
| Parish Church of the Assumption | |
|---|---|
| Knisja Arċipretali ta' Santa Marija | |
View of the Rotunda of Mosta
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| 35°54′36.3″N 14°25′33.2″E / 35.910083°N 14.425889°ECoordinates: 35°54′36.3″N 14°25′33.2″E / 35.910083°N 14.425889°E | |
| Location | Mosta, Malta |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | mostachurch.com |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1614 |
| Dedication | Assumption of Mary |
| Dedicated | 15 October 1871 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Giorgio Grognet de Vassé |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Groundbreaking | 30 May 1833 |
| Completed | Early 1860s |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Width | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Diameter | 37.2 m (122 ft) |
| Number of domes | 1 |
| Number of spires | 2 |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Malta |
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The Parish Church of the Assumption (Maltese: Knisja Arċipretali ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta (Maltese: Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta) or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church in Mosta, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built between 1833 and the 1860s to neoclassical designs of Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, on the site of an earlier Renaissance church which had been built in around 1614 to designs of Tommaso Dingli.
The design of the present church is based on the Pantheon in Rome, and it is said to have the third largest unsupported dome in the world. The church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II, since on 9 April 1942 a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during mass but failed to explode. This event was interpreted by the Maltese as a miracle.
Although Pietro Dusina recorded Mosta as a parish in his 1575 pastoral visit, the town actually became a parish in 1608. Plans to construct a new church began soon afterwards, and the church was built in around 1614 to designs attributed to the Renaissance architect Tommaso Dingli. This church was commonly called Ta' Ziri.
By the 1830s, this church had become too small to cater for the town's population. Giorgio Grognet de Vassé proposed rebuilding the church on a neoclassical design based on the Pantheon in Rome. Despite opposition from Bishop Francesco Saverio Caruana, the design was approved and construction of the church began on 30 May 1833.
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