Ta' Cisju Farmhouse is an 18th-century

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 33 active chapters and four associate ch ...

Naxxar Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxx ...

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 farmhouse was built in 1730 in an area known as Ħal Muselmiet, during the rule of the

Order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

. According to the Naxxar Local Council, the building is the oldest farmhouse in the area of its type. The farmhouse has a vernacular structure with traditional Maltese architecture. The farmhouse was used for agricultural purposes but it is now a residential building.

Location

Ta' Cisju Farmhouse is found in an area known as Ħal Muselmiet. The area was named during the Arab period in Malta, which literally means 'Village of the Muslims'. The farmhouse has no direct connection with the Arab period but the farmlands of the area, which were developed during the Arabs, have a direct connection as the farmhouse is an agricultural building. It is located right on the side of a main road in

that lead to San Pawl tat-Targa. The farmhouse is found in the same area as the

Hompesch Hunting Lodge Hompesch Hunting Lodge, also known as ''Id-Dar tal-Kaċċa'' ( en, The Hunting Lodge), is an 18th-century hunting lodge in Naxxar, Malta. It is a traditional Maltese historic building with a vernacular architecture. The hunting lodge was built ...

of which both have the same public garden in front of them. Not far from the farmhouse are found the

Gauci Tower Gauci Tower ( mt, Torri Gauci, it, Torre Gauci) is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built before 1548 by the Gauci family. Today, the tower is in good condition. History Gauci Tower was built sometime before 1548 by Francesco Gauci to protect hi ...

and the

Captain's Tower Captain's Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Kaptan) is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built sometime after 1548 by the Order of Saint John. Today, the tower is in good condition. History The Captain's Tower was built by the Order of Saint John to house t ...

which were built before the farmhouse. When the farmhouse was built it was surrounded by farmlands but most of the area is urban today. Some fields still exist close to the building. The farmhouse has become a corner building as roads were constructed next to it. Spiteri, Stephen C
"Naxxar and its fortifications"
, Military Architecture.Naxxar Local Council (2013)
"Towards San Pawl tat-Targa"
Walks to discover a Village."Naxxar, four walks to discover a village"
Din l-Art Helwa, p. 31.

History

Since the Arab period the area was a fertile ground and many fields are found until day. The area became a village during the Arab rule of which only the rural characteristics remain to be most evident of this. The area use to receive surprise attacks from sea corsairs, and for this reason it was unpopular among locals to settle in the area. Even though in the area there is the

(built by Francesco Gauci in 1548) and the Knights built the

to further enhance the protection of the farming community, both of them served of a lesser service to the farmhouse when it was built. This is because in the late 17th century the Order of St. John built the Wignacourt towers, the

Lascaris towers The Laskaris or Lascaris ( el, Λάσκαρις, later Λάσκαρης) family was a Byzantine Greek noble family whose members formed the ruling dynasty of the Empire of Nicaea from 1204 to 1261 and remained among the senior nobility up to the d ...

and the

De Redin towers The De Redin Towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' De Redin) are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of Malta (island), mainl ...

. The towers served the community, including the Ta' Cisju Farmhouse, as a better defense and thus allowing the prosperity of the village. Cisju_Farmhouse

The farmlands have a direct association with the building of the farmhouse as it served as a rural building for the farmer, or farmers, who cultivated the lands in the area. The lands offered fertile grounds for the few families who lived there in the 18th-century. It is possibly one of the first structures of its type to be built in the said area, and remains to be known as the 'oldest farmhouse' in Naxxar. It is believed that the farmhouse was built in 1730. This date is indicated with it being written on the facade close to a window on the first floor. Naxxar started to develop into a village as it is known today during the British period as during the knights it was mostly an agricultural area and a

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

zone. During the British the farmhouse became a residential house and complete with electricity. Some rooms were evidently added to the back of the farmhouse. probably to make it a comfortable residence, but significantly the original building was maintained and restored sometimes in the early 21st-century. The farmhouse is now named as ''Ta' Cisju''; this name has no historical connection and consequently it is not found in any literature until the start of the 21st-century.

Architecture

Ta' Cisju Farmhouse is a good example of Maltese traditional agricultural building. It takes in the form of modest vernacular architecture. It was built to serve for agricultural needs in 1730, with some possible influence of building of the

order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

, but its description shows it is largely traditional. Some rooms were added in recent years (post-2000) at the back of the building with similar characteristics. A large window was opened at the lower floor, which consequentially removed some 18th-century stonework. This can be noticed from the photos taken before and after the rehabilitation and conversion of the property. Today the farmhouse is a residential home and has modern facilities. The farmhouse was restored sometimes in the early 21st-century and is in a good state of preservation. The farmhouse has typical traditional characteristic similar to other farmhouses in

, such as; a wide arched doorway (remissa), small window at the first floor (the first floor is traditionally known as Għorfa),

waterspout A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel cloud, funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water. Some are connected to a cumulus congestus cloud, some to a cumuliform cloud and some to a cumulonimbus clou ...

s on the exterior,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

slabs and other.

References

{{Reflist Vernacular architecture in Malta Naxxar Farmhouses in Malta Residential buildings completed in 1730 Limestone buildings in Malta Hunting lodges in Malta Architecture in Malta

Location

History

Architecture

Further reading

See also

References