St Helen's Basilica

Basilica of St Helen
The Basilica and Collegiate, Parish Church of St Helen
Il-Knisja ta' Santa Liena Il-Bażilika u Kolleġġjata Arċipretali ta' Sant' Elena
Exterior of the Basilica
Location	Birkirkara
Country	Malta
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	santaliena.org
Architecture
Status	Collegiate Church, Minor Basilica, Parish Church
Architect(s)	Lorenzo Gafà (built by Mason Salvu Borg)
Style	Baroque
Clergy
Dean	Anton Mallia Borg
Archpriest	Vincenz Cachia
Precentor	Ġużepp Micallef
Chancellor	Charles Gauci

Il-Knisja ta' Santa Liena

St Helen's Basilica (Maltese: Il-Bażilika ta' Sant' Elena) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church situated in Birkirkara, Malta. It is built on the baroque design of Lorenzo Gafà and built by the Mason Salvu Borg (Domenico Cachia is erroneously written as the architect or mason in multiple sources). It was built to replace the role of the main old Parish Church of St. Mary (still parish church of the area) that was damaged in the 1856 earthquake. It eventually became the Collegiate Church and then a Minor Basilica. The current parish archpriest is Vincenz Cachia.

Birkirkara is one of the 12 Maltese parishes which existed in 1436 (close to the site of Ta' Ċieda Tower in modern San Ġwann) the year of the Rollo drawn up by the bishop of Malta, Senatore Mello.

The Ta' Xennu Church was built in 1575 and rebuilt in 1692 on site of the present church that was dedicated to the Assumption. The 17th-century church was demolished to make way for the present St. Helen Church when the parish church was at the time the old Santa Maria Church. A small chapel dedicated to the assumption was included and built within the design of the St. Helen Church as a replacement of the 17th-century church. The St. Helen's Church became parish church soon after its completion and then a basilica. The large garden space of Vincenzo Borg's townhouse was donated by Brared to build the church's front, stairs and main square. When Vincenzo died he was buried in the church's crypt.