What once was a wayside chapel in the Maltese countryside in the outskirts of Mosta has today become a little chapel engulfed by modern and multi-storey buildings. It is craving for some serious restoration.
The tiny chapel can be found in Tower Road right behind the Cumbo Tower. It accommodates a congregation of no more than 20 people and has been taken care of by the Debattista family on a voluntary basis since 1953, explains Giovanni Debattista, who till this day dedicates his free time to care for the chapel following in the steps of his father.
“According to the book Descrizione storica della Chiesa di Malta e Gozo written by Achille Ferris in 1866, the chapel has a rich history behind it. The book refers to a pastoral visit by Monsignor Pietro Duzina in 1575. He had described the chapel as a very old one which was dug out in the rock in the shape of a dome some 300 metres away from the present chapel,” explains Mr Debattista who went on to say that the underground chapel was probably hidden when the Islamic occupation in Malta started in 780 AD.
The area was never properly excavated to determine whether there really was an underground chapel but some elderly people living in the area recall hearing the ground tremble and echoing when they passed by with carriages in the same areas of the road.
Mr Debattista goes on saying that the only excavations recorded are those which were carried out in 1900. “At the time two skeletons were found. Probably they were buried there during the cholera infestation in 1813,” he added.
He recalls his late father, Anthony Debattista saying that there are some small catacombs in the grounds of the Cumbo Tower a few metres away from the chapel on Durumblat Road. The passage to the catacombs was closed off for passers-by, he remembers.
His father also told him of when the road was first covered in tarmac. The workers had found some broken pottery but this was unfortunately covered by concrete immediately.
The chapel as we know it today was built in 1610 by a benefactor called Damjan Bonnici known as ‘Wejda’ and dedicated the chapel to Our Lady of the Visitation. Mr Debattista remarks that the benefactor was a licensed corsair and his wife was called Agatha. The two are portrayed in an old painting painted in 1605 and which is still hanging in the chapel’s sacristy. The chapel’s connections to piracy are also evident through a number of graffiti engraved in the chapel’s walls.
The chapel suffered extensive damage over the years. During the war the façade was damaged but it was repaired thanks to war damage funds though the repair works were nothing to write home about and the church’s condition started to deteriorate slowly. But the greatest damage was sustained in recent years due to bad weather and construction works in the area.
“Every time heavy rain falls, water seeps through the cracks in the ceiling and the walls damaging the artefacts inside. A few years ago, when the road was resurfaced the church’s foundations were hit by a jigger and it caused some of the paintwork in the church to fall off. I had removed two bags of paint debris from inside the church,” explains Mr Debattista.
His appeal to get some serious restoration done on the chapel has many times fallen on deaf ears. He was recently even more appalled to find out that the church is not even listed on the records of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and according to its website, the area is targeted for development.
The Malta Independent sent questions regarding the chapel to Mepa, the Curia and the Mosta local council but none were answered.
Mr Debattista continues to open the church regularly for visitors and still hopes that the chapel catches the attention of the authorities and that its appalling state is taken seriously. Mass is held there every Sunday at 8.30am and the feast is held on the Sunday following the 11 October.
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