Santa Margerita Chapel (English: ''Saint Margaret Chapel''), also known as Arar Chapel, is a 16th century

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

in San Gwann,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The chapel was built for the farmers working the surrounding fields. At the time, attacks from the sea were common. The chapel was partially damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with serious damage but large portions surviving. Today the church is a landmark in San Gwann, in architectural contrast with the modern housing of the area.

History

The exact date when Saint Margerita Chapel was built is unknown but it was around the event of the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...

. It was mentioned for the first time in an inscription of Monsignor

Pietro Dusina Pietro Dusina was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Brescia who was the inquisitor and apostolic delegate to Malta between 1574 and 1575. Dusina was nominated inquisitor of Malta by Pope Gregory XIII on 3 July 1574, and he arrived on the island ...

in 1575, when he was sent by the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

to inspect the sparse chapels on the

Maltese islands Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. He found the chapel to be the property of a local man named Salvu Calleja who made sure that a Mass took place in the chapel once a year on the feast day of St. Margaret. However, according to the standards of an inspecting Monsignor, it was not suitable to be a

place of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

, as it was not well kept and had no door. He ordered that the chapel not be used until a door was attached to the entrance."Il-Kappella ta’ Sta Margerita “tal-Ħereb” - San Gwann"
Kapelli Maltin - Maltese Chapels. In the inscription it is written:
Saint Margaret Chapel was

deconsecrated Deconsecration, also called secularization, is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated by a minister or priest of that religion. The practice is usually performed on churches or synagogues to b ...

in 1605, since in the late 16th century and in the early 17th century attacks by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

increased and the chapel fell into disuse. It was consecrated again in 1618 by Bishop

Baldassare Cagliares Baldassare Cagliares ( 1575 – 4 August 1633) was a Maltese Roman Catholic prelate who was the Bishop of Malta from 1615 until his death. Biography Baldassare Cagliares was born in Valletta in around 1575; this year is approximate and the exa ...

. Bishop

Michele Girolamo Molina Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

in 1658 observed that it suffered serious neglect while abandoned, and Father Giacomo Pullucino took the initiative to restore the chapel, finishing in 1666. Pullicino died in 1680 and was allowed to be buried inside the chapel, as documented by Bishop

Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa Miguel Juan Balaguer de Camarasa also known as Miguel Balaguer or Michele Balaguer (1597 – 5 December 1663) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Malta from 1635 to 1663. Biography Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa was born in ...

, the parish priest of

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara) is a city in the central region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous parishes: Saint Helen, Saint Joseph the Worker, Ou ...

. At the time San Gwann was a part of Birkirkara and consequentially San Gwann was originally part of Birkirkara parish, and ecclesiastical decisions were taken there. Following the death of Pullucino his family was also given permission to be interned in the chapel when they died. In 1680 Bishop Molina made a courtesy visit and offered Mass, as did Bishop Joaquín Canaves In 1718.

Recent

During

several families relocated to San Gwann from the

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

and the surrounding cities and suburbs, for safety's sake. The chapel was directly hit during the war, destroying its ceiling and one of the side walls. After the war more families relocated to San Gwann as many of buildings in the cities had suffered serious damage. The chapel's damaged parts and original architecture were restored. On the inauguration plaque it is written: A parish church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was built in the 1950s, replacing the chapel. Today the chapel is used for adoration, with Masses celebrated less frequently. It is sometimes used for the children of the local schools, for weddings and on the feast of Saint Margaret. Traditionally the chapel was in the middle of farming fields and agricultural lands, but today it is in the middle of an urban zone. The chapel's building is used as a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

and stands proudly as a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

on its own. In 1994 it was scheduled as a grade 1 national monument by the

Malta Environment and Planning Authority The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, mt, L-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning ...

. In 2003 a new monument by the name of Kolonna Eterna was installed just in front of the chapel. The two

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

s are in contrast, but complement each other in this central area of San Gwann."San Gwann"
San Gwann Local Council, 2010.

Cultural Heritage

Santa Margerita Chapel is scheduled as a grade 1 national monument since 1994 by the

(MEPA). St Margaret Chapel...jpeg, Plaque uncovered after the damaged parts were rebuilt and the chapel was reopened to the public Kolonna Eterna and Santa Margerita Chapel.jpeg, Kolonna Eterna on the left and Santa Margerita Chapel see far on the right Adoration Santa Margerita.png, Adoration of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

References

{{coord, 35.9100, N, 14.4770, E, source:wikidata, display=title 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta Architecture in Malta San Ġwann Limestone churches in Malta Roman Catholic chapels in Malta Roundabouts and traffic circles in Malta