This Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was built in 1611 from contributions by the crews of the Order’s galleys. These people considered the Church as being very much their own and used it for their religious services – particularly during the Eastern Liturgy.

During the time of the Order merchant shipping was left almost entirely in the hands of Maltese ship owners and incoming ships usually moored at Valetta. Others moored and unloaded in Vittoriosa in the area beneath the Carmelite Church where they were charged a fee of four tari.

Since the church owned the slipway that lay in front of it, it was provided with some revenue as the slipway was hired for use by galleys at the nearby quay, at six tari a day – enough to meet the running expenses of the church.

Two edicts dated 1763 and 1767 endowed the Church of Mt Carmel with an exclusive right to charge seven tari on ships loading or unloading on that part of the wharf.