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27-452: The first stone of the Church of St. Publius was laid down on 2 August 1733 by Bishop Paul Alphéran de Bussan , in the presence of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena . The sacristy was completed seven years later and it began to be used as a small church by the inhabitants of the then newly built suburb of Floriana. Construction was complete by 17 January 1768, when the relic of Saint Publius

54-555: A Doctor of the Church on 19 February 1729. Benedict XIII elevated 29 new cardinals into the cardinalate in a total of 12 consistories ; one such new cardinal was Prospero Lambertini, who later became Pope Benedict XIV . Benedict XIII, whose orders were descended from Scipione Rebiba , personally consecrated at least 139 bishops for various important European sees, including German, French, English and New World bishops. These bishops in turn consecrated bishops for their respective countries, causing other episcopal lineages to die out. As

81-572: A cruciform plan with a dome and a richly decorated interior. The altarpiece showing the martyrdom of Publius dates back to 1773, and it is the work of Antoine de Favray and his pupil Filippo Vincenzo Pace. The ceiling is decorated by paintings depicting Saint Paul 's shipwreck and his stay in Malta. Several other paintings are also found in the church, including works by Giuseppe Calì , Emvin Cremona and many other artists. The titular statue of St. Publius

108-540: A Conventual Chaplain of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . His brother Jean-Melchior Alphéran was also a member of the order of St John and became abbot of Sept-Fons Abbey in 1755. The ship on which the 19-year-old Paul was travelling was caught in heavy storms and had to seek shelter in St. Paul's Bay where he came ashore. Paul was ordained priest by Bishop Davide Cocco Palmeri on 8 December 1710. He

135-418: A decree was issued by Pope Gregory XVI . The naves and an oratory were constructed between 1856 and 1861. A new façade was built by Nicola Zammit between 1884 and 1890. Two new bell towers were also built in 1889 and 1892. The church's interior was embellished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Part of the church's façade and its dome were destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II , when it

162-569: A local mystic, Serafina of God . Upon the death of Pope Innocent XIII in 1724, a conclave was convoked to elect a successor. There were four divisions in the College of Cardinals and there were no clear candidates. At the conclave, Orsini was considered one of the papabili . Orsini was then proposed to be elected because he led a modest, austere life, and was considered to be a pastor. His lack of political expertise suggested that he would be neutral and malleable. Orsini refused to be elected prior to

189-479: A result, more than 90% of present-day bishops trace their episcopal lineage through him to Cardinal Rebiba. With the papal bull Pretiosus , dated 26 May 1727, Benedict XIII granted to all Dominicans major houses of study and in particular to the Roman College of St. Thomas, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas Angelicum the right of conferring academic degrees in theology to students outside

216-604: The Mdina seminary, now the Cathedral Museum. On 19 September 1746 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Tamiathis. In 1752 he financed the printing of a Maltese translation of Cardinal Bellarmino’s Catholic Catechism which was distributed to every parish in Malta . Archbishop Alphéran de Bussan died on 20 April 1757 at his Mdina residence. He was buried in the Cathedral crypt but his heart

243-567: The Church in Rome . In the process towards sainthood, his cause for canonization opened in 1755, but it was closed shortly afterwards. It was reopened on 21 February 1931, but it was closed once again in 1940. It was opened once more on 17 January 2004, with the official process commencing in 2012 and concluding later in 2017. He now has the posthumous title of Servant of God . He was born in Gravina in Puglia ,

270-464: The Order. Benedict XIII was suddenly attacked by a catarrh , contracted while officiating at the funeral service of Cardinal Marco Antonio Ansidei, of which he died on 21 February 1730 at the age of 81. His death was made public to the people the next day. The pope was of middling size; his countenance was mild, his nose aquiline and he had a broad forehead. At the autopsy, it was discovered that his heart

297-793: The authenticity of Augustine's bones, which had been discovered in 1695 in the Basilica San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro . The government of the Papal States was effectively held in Benedict XIII's stead by Cardinal Niccolò Coscia , who had been the pope's secretary when he was archbishop of Benevento, and who committed a long series of financial abuses to his own advantage, causing the ruin of the Papal treasury. Coscia and his associates effectively isolated Benedict from other advisors. According to Montesquieu , "All

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324-634: The early 1990s. The church is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument, and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands . The façade of the Church of St. Publius consists of a neoclassical portico topped by a triangular pediment , flanked by a bell tower on either side. A statue of Christ the King stands on the top of the façade. The church has

351-570: The eldest of six sons of Ferdinando III Orsini, duke of Gravina , and Giovanna Frangipani della Tolfa, from Toritto . A member of the Orsini of Rome, he was the fifth and last member of that family to become Pope. At the age of eighteen he resigned his inheritance and entered the Dominican Order where he received the name of "Vincenzo Maria". He was ordained to the priesthood in February 1671. Through

378-407: The final ballot, explaining that he was unworthy of it. Eventually he was persuaded to accept by Agustín Pipia , Master of the Order of Preachers and on 29 May 1724, Orsini was elected pontiff. He chose the regnal name of "Benedict XIII" in honour of Pope Benedict XI because he was also of the Dominican Order . On 4 June 1724, he was crowned by Benedetto Pamphili , the cardinal protodeacon. On

405-567: The following 24 September, he took possession of the Basilica of St. John Lateran . Not a man of worldly matters, Benedict XIII made an effort to maintain his monastic lifestyle. He endeavoured to put a stop to the decadent lifestyles of the Italian priesthood and of the cardinalate . He also abolished the lottery in Rome and the Papal States, which only served to profit the neighboring states that maintained

432-407: The influence of his family, he was named, by Pope Clement X , Cardinal-Priest of San Sisto on 22 February 1672 (allegedly against his will). He also lectured in philosophy at Brescia. Later he was bishop of Manfredonia , bishop of Cesena and then archbishop of Benevento . After an earthquake in 1688 and another in 1702, he organized relief efforts for the victims. He remained a close friend of

459-653: The money of Rome goes to Benevento... as the Beneventani direct [Benedict's] weakness". In foreign relations, he struggled with both John V of Portugal and the Jansenists in France. Upon election, on 4 June 1724, Benedict XIII published the Bulls of Canonization for Saints previously celebrated: Benedict XIII beatified Through the process of equipollent canonization Benedict XIII canonized The Pope declared Peter Chrysologus

486-576: The public lottery. A man fond above all of asceticism and religious celebrations, he built several hospitals, but according to Cardinal Prospero Lambertini (later Pope Benedict XIV ), "did not have any idea about how to rule". In 1727, he inaugurated the famous Spanish Steps and founded the University of Camerino . In 1728, Benedict's intervention settled a controversy regarding the relics of Augustine of Hippo which erupted in Pavia . He ultimately confirmed

513-463: Was brought to the church. The original design of the church is attributed to Francesco Marandon. The church was originally part of the parish of St. Paul of Valletta . The façade of the church began to be rebuilt in 1771, and the dome was constructed in 1780. It became a vice-parish in 1776, and the church was consecrated by Bishop Vincenzo Labini on 20 March 1792. It became a parish in March 1844, after

540-633: Was completed in 1811 by the sculptor Vincenzo Dimech . Paul Alph%C3%A9ran de Bussan Paul Alphéran de Bussan was a French Roman Catholic archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1728 till 1757. Born in Aix-en-Provence , France on 28 October 1686 of noble parentage, Paul Alphéran de Bussan graduated in Bachelor of Theology from the University of Aix in 1705. He soon travelled to Malta and lived with his uncle, Melchior Alpheran de Bussan,

567-541: Was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in February 1730. A Dominican friar, Orsini focused on his religious responsibilities as bishop rather than on papal administration. Orsini's lack of political expertise led him to increasingly rely on an unscrupulous secretary (Cardinal Niccolò Coscia ) whose financial abuses ruined the papal treasury, causing great damage to

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594-404: Was hit by bombs on 3–4 March and 28 April 1942 and sixteen people were killed. The nearby Sarria Church became a temporary parish church until the Church of St. Publius was reopened on 10 December 1944. Reconstruction of the church was carried out by the architect Gustav Vincenti, and it was completed in the late 1950s. The interior was embellished in the following decades, being fully completed in

621-597: Was interred in the chapel of the seminary he had built. On the initiative of the Cathedral Chapter, a memorial baroque marble slab was installed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Cathedral. Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( Latin : Benedictus XIII ; Italian : Benedetto XIII ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini ,

648-447: Was later restored and took part in the conclaves of 1730 and 1740 . Pope Benedict XIV would later say of Benedict XIII: "We respectfully love that pontiff who backed his carriage rather than dispute the passage with a cartman." On that occasion, Benedict XIII had exclaimed to his coachman: "Non ci far impicci" – "Do not involve us in a quarrel." On the other hand, this anonymous satirical comment on Benedict XIII's death

675-646: Was posted at the Pasquino : The process for his beatification was opened in Tortona in 1755 under Pope Benedict XIV but it did not at all advance and so was stalled. On 21 February 1931, also in Tortona, the process was revitalized but the presumed doubts about the morality of the late pontiff's Cardinal Secretary of State , Niccolò Coscia , caused its closing in 1940. The process was reopened on 17 January 2004. The official diocesan process commenced in Rome in early 2012 and

702-491: Was received as Conventual Chaplain in the Langue of Provence. He was also prior of the convent church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte in Aix-en-Provence in 1720. He was appointed Secretary for French Affairs by Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. On 8 March 1728 Pope Benedict XIII appointed Paul Alphéran de Bussan as Bishop of Malta . He was consecrated by the same Pope on 14 March that year. In 1733 Bishop Alphéran de Bussan built

729-512: Was remarkably large. His funeral ceremonies were performed at the Vatican, whence he was removed to the Santa Maria sopra Minerva where he was buried in a tomb completed by Pietro Bracci and others. After the 1730 papal conclave elevated Pope Clement XII to the pontificate, Clement promptly excommunicated Benedict XIII's corrupt deputy, Cardinal Coscia. Coscia fled Rome and his punishment, but

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