Lorenzo Balbi and his wife Maria Carmela nee Ozzini. This statue reminded me of queen Victoria and Albert. An article in the Times of Malta states, "The parish church they built gave Marsa its identity. Because even though Marsa is found on centuries-old maps of Malta and is frequently mentioned in history books, it was the faith of these two benefactors that gave Marsa its real identity."
Although I taught for three years in this locality (Marsa which means harbour) I did not know the story about these benefectors until today.
It all started when Lorenzo and his wife had expressed their desire to build a small chapel where they would eventually lay to rest. When the bishop of Malta, Mgr Pietro Pace, heard about this, he asked the couple to build a church at Marsa where the growing population had no place of worship.
