Ceiling collapses in one of Malta’s oldest churches

VALLETTA, Malta – Malta officials are trying to determine what caused the ceiling of one of the country’s oldest churches to collapse.

No one was injured when wooden beams and other debris collapsed onto the marble altar of the Ta’Giezu church in Rabat.

The church, completed in 1500 and dedicated to the mother of Jesus, is run by Franciscan Friars who made the discovery Wednesday when they opened the building for Mass.

Franciscan Prior the Rev. Martin Coleiro said the church underwent restorations last year, but said the ceiling wasn’t involved.

The church is a tourist draw particularly around Easter time. The Franciscan Friary was the first to hold a Good Friday procession in Malta in the early 16th century, and the Friary boasts of the oldest Good Friday statues still in use.