Rotunda of Mosta
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta or Rotunda of St Marija Assunta (sometimes shortened to as The Mosta Dome) is a Roman Catholic church in Mosta
, Malta
. It is the third largest unsupported dome in the world.
Built in the 19th century on the site of a previous church, it was designed by the Maltese
architect
Giorgio Grognet de Vassé. Its dome is among the largest in the world, with an internal diameter of 37.2 metres (122 ft). The rotunda walls are nearly 9.1 metres (29.9 ft) thick. The rotunda dome is the third-largest church dome in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
Grongnet's plans were based on the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in May 1833 and was completed in the 1860s. The original church was left in place while the Rotunda was built around it, allowing the local people to have a place of worship while the new church was being built. The church was officially consecrated the 15 October 1871.
bomb pierced the dome (two others bounced off) and fell among a congregation of more than 300 people awaiting early evening mass. It did not explode. Its replica is now on display inside the rotunda under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 .
One version of this event states that, upon opening the bomb, it was found to be filled with sand instead of explosive and contained a note saying "greetings from Plzeň" from the workers at Škoda Works
in the German-occupied Czechoslovakia
(then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
) who had allegedly sabotaged its production .
Mosta
Mosta is a town situated in the middle of the island of Malta, to the north-west of Valletta. It had a population of 19,018 people in 2010. Mosta celebrates the feast of Saint Mary the Assumption on the 15th August. This is a very popular feast among the Mostin and tourists alike...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. It is the third largest unsupported dome in the world.
Built in the 19th century on the site of a previous church, it was designed by the Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Giorgio Grognet de Vassé. Its dome is among the largest in the world, with an internal diameter of 37.2 metres (122 ft). The rotunda walls are nearly 9.1 metres (29.9 ft) thick. The rotunda dome is the third-largest church dome in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
Grongnet's plans were based on the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in May 1833 and was completed in the 1860s. The original church was left in place while the Rotunda was built around it, allowing the local people to have a place of worship while the new church was being built. The church was officially consecrated the 15 October 1871.
Mosta bomb miracle
On April 9, 1942, during an afternoon air-raid, a 200 kg LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bomb pierced the dome (two others bounced off) and fell among a congregation of more than 300 people awaiting early evening mass. It did not explode. Its replica is now on display inside the rotunda under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 .
One version of this event states that, upon opening the bomb, it was found to be filled with sand instead of explosive and contained a note saying "greetings from Plzeň" from the workers at Škoda Works
Škoda Works
Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...
in the German-occupied Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
) who had allegedly sabotaged its production .