The Lm25,000 embellishment project for Zabbar parish church is almost complete, said Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit yesterday.

Mr Zammit said that all that was left to complete the project was to install the railings around the parvis and a lighting system which will show off the “architectural sanctuary” which is the church.

He said that the final phase of work will continue in the latter half of September so as not to disrupt the village feast activities. The work will cost Lm25,000 including the wages of public works employees.

Speaking about the nature of the work involved, Mr Zammit explained that some 400 square metres of paving was laid. He said that before laying the paving, the old paving had been removed and services were passed underneath. In addition, a foundation layer of concrete was also laid down. He said that all the work, apart from the laying of the paving itself, was carried out by government employees. He reserved praise for the workers who completed the work within eight weeks. Mr Zammit also said that this was simply one in a chain of different embellishment works carried out on various churches and squares in Malta and Gozo. He pointed out that over the past four years more than Lm500,000 had been spent on such projects. This fact, he said, underlined the government’s commitment to upgrade the infrastructure of the country, tied in with the socio-cultural aspect.

Zabbar became a parish in 1616. The sanctuary was built according to a design by Tumas Dingli. Work started in 1641 and was completed in 1696. In 1738, the facade was changed to a design by Ganni Bonavia – it is the design we see today.