Set the scene.
As Sliema became a holiday destination for Valletta residents, a small earlier church served the people staying there. Population growth created demand for something larger.
Here’s the twist.
A new church was built in the 1850s and dedicated to Mary, Star of the Sea: Stella Maris.
Why it still matters.
Enlargement followed, and it became a parish in 1878. Its history gives a practical clue to Sliema’s transformation from a place to escape the city into a substantial town.
🧠 One to think about +
What does this story change about the way you see Malta today? Pick one detail you’d tell a friend — then check its source below.