Ta' Xindi Farmhouse (), also known as the Ta' Xindi Headquarters and Kappara Outpost, is an 18th-century

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

built during the Order of St. John in

San Ġwann San Ġwann () is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,244 as of 2021. Prior to its establishment as a distinct municipality, it was a fragmented community comprising parts of Birkirkara and St. Julian's. San Ġwann e ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was originally designed to be a

but went through different

adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse is the reuse of an existing building for a purpose other than that for which it was originally built or designed. It is also known as recycling and conversion. The adaptive reuse of buildings can be a viable alternative to new con ...

. The building served as a farmhouse for two hundred years and is found in the suburb of

Kappara Kappara, or Il-Kappara, is a hamlet in Malta, situated between the local councils of San Ġwann, St. Julian's and Gżira Gżira () is a town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, a ...

. During the brief

French occupation of Malta The island of Malta was occupied by France from 1798 to 1800. The Knights Hospitaller surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in Maltese history (as ...

, the building served as the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

for the rise of the Maltese against the French, known as the ''Gharghar rise'' and led by the building's owner

Vincenzo Borg Vincenzo Maria Borg (, 1773 – 18 July 1837), also known by his nickname Brared (or ''Braret''), was a Maltese merchant who was one of the main insurgent leaders during the French blockade of 1798–1800. He was a lieutenant from 1801 until he ...

. A plaque was attached on the façade, during the British period, commemorating Borg's role in the revolt. The building came to national attention when it was mentioned in the

Maltese Parliament The Parliament of Malta () is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta. The parliament is unicameral, with a democratically elected House of Representatives and the president of Malta. By constitutional law, all governme ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Lawrence Gonzi Lawrence Gonzi (born 1 July 1953) is a Maltese politician, retired Nationalist politician and lawyer, who served for twenty-five years in various critical roles in Maltese politics. Gonzi was Prime Minister of Malta from 2004 to 2013, and lead ...

, then followed by its scheduling by the

Malta Environment and Planning Authority The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, ) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning on the Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and other small ...

. Today the building is a national cultural monument. The building is a private property and following its refurbishment it is used as a residential home.

Description and Location

The Ta' Xindi Farmhouse was built by unknown

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

farmers sometime during the period of Hospitaller rule in Malta. It is a vernacular building with a modest design, built according to local customs to function like any other farm of its time. When the building was constructed, it was located within the limits of

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

, but today is under the jurisdiction of the

Local Council, in a suburb known as

. The farmhouse is situated on a hill overlooking farmland along with the

Mater Dei Hospital Mater Dei Hospital (MDH; ), also known simply as '' Mater Dei'', is an acute general and teaching hospital in Msida, Malta. It was opened in 2007, replacing St. Luke's Hospital. It is a public hospital affiliated to the University of Malta, offer ...

History

By the late 18th century the building belonged to

, a main

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

leaders during the French blockade of 1798–1800 and previously a leading cotton merchants in Malta whose sale of products called brared led to his nickname, Brared. In 1798, Malta was invaded by the French led by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

who were on their way to conquer

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. After expelling the

Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

from the islands, Napoleon left a garrison of 4000 men in order to keep control of the

Maltese archipelago The geography of Malta is dominated by water. Malta is an archipelago of coralline limestone, located in Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, 81 kilometres south of Sicily, Italy,From Żebbuġ in Malta, coordinates: 36°04'48.2"N 14°15'06.7"E to Cav ...

. Initially the

had supported the French but having not received what they expected, growing in disappointment and propagated by

landlords A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord applies ...

and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the Maltese rose up against the French in different battalions around Malta. In such context the Ta' Xindi Farmhouse became also known since then as the ''San Ġwann Headquarters'' when Vincenzo Borg took the lead for the rising against the French, famously known as the ''Gharghar rise''.

Vincenzo Labini Vincenzo Labini (28 April 1735 – 30 April 1807) was an Italian archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1780 till 1807. Biography Labini was born in Bitonto, Italy on April 28, 1735. In 1758 he was ordained priest of the Sovereign Milita ...

, the then bishop of Malta, was well informed about the insurgency of the Maltese.

Alexander Ball Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet (22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator who served as the civil commissioner of Malta from 1799 to 1801 and again from 1802 to 1809. He was born in ...

initially did not trust Vincenzo Borg in the belief that Borg was after power over the Maltese. During the conflict the farmhouse, now an outpost, was secretly used as headquarters while the French soldiers kept control of the

fortifications of Malta The fortifications of Malta consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, Watchtower, towers, Artillery battery, batteries, redoubts, Entrenchment (fortification), entrenchments and Pillbox (military), pillboxes. The fortifications we ...

. The building manned more than 550 native Maltese soldiers of mixed capacities. The soldiers safeguarded and over the surrounding areas and generally attacked at once with other outposts such as

and

Mosta Mosta () is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's 3rd largest unsupported ...

. On 2 September the Maltese resurgence managed to acquire two 18-pounder cannons that were stored and at times used at the farmhouse. The flag of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

was raised for the very first time in Malta in 1799 by Vincenzo Borg himself of which a plaque was inaugurated on the façade of the farmhouse that includes this historic event. During the insurgency the farmhouse was also used as an emergency hospital.Cassar, Paul
"Hookham Frere in Malta
pp. 61-62, Melitensiawth.com Despite being small, the building had to cater as a hospital for a large number of families which included people who took refuge in the countryside from the fortified cities that were occupied by the French. In 1833 Borg was awarded the

Order of St. Michael and St. George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

by the British.

John Hookham Frere John Hookham Frere (21 May 1769 – 7 January 1846) was an English diplomat and author. Early life Frere was born in London. His father, John Frere, a member of a Suffolk family, had been educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and became Sec ...

had such a good friendship with, and an appreciation for Vincenzo Borg's role against the French that when Borg died Frere had inscribed by documenting this on Borg's grave at the

St Helen's Basilica St Helen's Basilica () is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church situated in Birkirkara, Malta. It is built on the baroque design by Salvu Borg and built by Mason Domenico Cachia. The design was inspired by, and is similar to, the Mdina Cathedral ...

Recent

The farmhouse came to public attention to be preserved after some sections of it were being demolished during refurbishment. Back then Prime Minister in Office

has made reference to the farmhouse and its rich history. Since then measures of preservation have taken place. The building remains to be a private residence and not a museum. It is currently being used by its owners as a family home. A plaque is found on the façade of the building, commemorating the ''Gharghar rise'' against the French and Vincenzo Borg's heroic role at the same time.

Plaque

On the commemorative plaque it is written:

Heritage

The Ta' Xindi Farmhouse is scheduled by the

(MEPA) as grade 1 national monument. It is also listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=May 2017 Limestone buildings in Malta Headquarters in Malta French occupation of Malta Vernacular architecture in Malta Farmhouses in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Birkirkara San Ġwann Architecture in Malta Defunct hospitals in Malta Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century