Located in Manikata, St. Joseph’s Church is a Roman Catholic parish church. It was designed by Richard England in 1962, and was built between 1964 and 1974. The shape of this church is inspired by the girna, which is a traditional stone hut.

Built in 1918, the first church in the village of Manikata was a small chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph. Unfortunately it was too small to accommodate the growing population of the village. It was therefore decided to build a larger church in 1961 at a new location.

The building was designed in 1962 by Edwin England Sant Fournier, at a time when the Second Vatican Council was bringing about reforms in the Catholic Church. These reforms to modernize the Church proved to be an inspiration for England’s design for the new church building, which had a capacity of 700 people.

The foundation stone was laid by Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi in August 1964, in the presence of Prime Minister George Borg Olivier and Minister Joseph Spiteri. The church was dedicated by Archbishop Gonzi in November 1974, and became a parish church in February 1975.

The Manikata church was a departure from traditional Baroque church designs.

It has curved walls, reminiscent of the megalithic temples of Malta. Another source of inspiration is Le Corbusier’s Chapel of Our Lady of the High, which also broke away from more conservative church designs in favor of sculptural forms.

The church aims to capture both human spirituality and the peace associated with the natural environment that surrounds it.