The Devil's Farmhouse, also known in

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 ...

as Ir-Razzett tax-Xitan,Zammit, Anne (2014)
"Farmers and fireworks don't mix"
''

Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

''. and officially as Ir-Razzett Tax-Xjaten (''The Farmhouse of the Devils'' or ''The Devils' Farmhouse''), 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 ...

Mellieħa Mellieħa ( ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. It has a population of 10,087 as of March 2014. Mellieħa is also a tourist resort, popular for its sandy beaches, natural environment, and Popeye Village nearby. Etymology The n ...

, Malta. The farmhouse features two unconnected buildings. The original scope for the buildings was to function as stables and a horse-riding school (Cavalerizza). At one point, the buildings were converted into farmhouses by different farmers, and underwent some structural changes. A Maltese myth claims that the farmhouse was built by the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, a tale from which it derives its historic name. It is a national monument and in a dilapidated state.

History

The Devil's Farmhouse was built in the 18th century during the rule of the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

to be used as a horse stable. It is found in Ta' Randa"Ir-Razzett tax-Xitan"
very close to L-Għar ta' Zamberat (Zamberat's Cave). The farmhouse stands away from

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

in isolation. Attributed to the farmhouse is a myth that the farmhouse was built by the devil/s in one/three-day/s Bartolo, Evarist
"The Legend of the Farmhouse the Devils Built"
Malta Inside Out. The only architectural feature that gives the impression of relating to demonic icons are the two enclosed staircases, that lead to the roof of the stable, which are suggested to appear as two horns. There is also a traditional carnival song/poem that mentions Ta' Randa and the devil. The song (or poem) named ''Il- Karnival'' goes to say as the following: Very roughly translated, this text announces the feast of the devil at the site.

Architecture

The building has a simple and modest

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...

,Tabone, Timothy (2 March 2014)
"Reject the application for fireworks factory"
''

''. with slit windows, that function as ventilators, and waterspouts. It has no inscriptions or symbols to shed further information about its use apart from

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

that were inscribed when it was converted to a farmhouse. These are found on the walls and woods, and record the sale of different types of vegetables by farmers. The features of the building are examples of Maltese traditional architecture that include roofs built with

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

slabs and animal feeding

manger __NOTOC__ A manger or trough is a rack for fodder, or a structure or feeder used to hold food for animals. The word comes from the Old French ''mangier'' (meaning "to eat"), from Latin ''mandere'' (meaning "to chew"). Mangers are mostly used in ...

s. Despite the conversion to a farmhouse, the building clearly does not look like it was originally meant to be one, as it is not a traditional Maltese farmhouse. This and the position of the mangers prove that the building was built for horses. These characteristics may suggest that the building may have been a cow farm. The high roof of one of the buildings still prove that it is unlikely it was originally a cow farm, but it may be speculative to say that at one point it had been so. It features two separate unconnected buildings, which may have been built during different periods. At the site, within the front of the farmhouse, stand two traditional giren which were built for bird hunting. The building was used as a hunting lodge and as a horse-riding school (Cavalerizza) by the

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

to keep their horses inside. Other later additions inside the building are the wooden beams that were introduced to support the limestone slabs. The farmhouse is in a

dilapidated Dilapidation is a term meaning a destructive event to a building, but more particularly used in the plural in English law for # the waste committed by the incumbent of an ecclesiastical living # the disrepair for which a leasehold estate, tenan ...

state and is in need of restoration. Some of the roofs already collapsed while other are expected to collapse.

Cultural Heritage

The farmhouse is a national monument of architectural significance. 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 ...

scheduled it as a Grade 1 National Monument, that protects it from being demolished, altered or further developed but allows the reconstruction of damaged parts. The building is listed as part of 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 ...

(NICPMI).Unknown (30 December 2012)
"125 properties on National Inventory of the Cultural Property"
''

The Malta Independent ''The Malta Independent'' is a national newspaper published daily in Malta. It was started in 1992. The paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, ra ...

''. Retrieved 10 March 2016.

Gallery

File:Broken ceiling at the Devil's Farmhouse.jpeg, Collapsed roof File:Ir-Razzett tax-Xitan.jpeg, The animal's feeding quarters File:Arches at The Devil's Farmhouse.jpg, The arched ceiling File:The girna at the side of The Devil's Farmhouse.jpeg, The girna at the side of the farmhouse File:View from The Devil's Farmhouse.jpeg, A view from the farmhouse and the two staircases that are said to appear as horns File:Collapsed roof of stables.jpg File:Arches of the main room.jpg File:Small outhouse.jpg File:Front door .jpg File:Inside the 'girna'.jpg File:'Girna' in front courtyard.jpg File:Front courtyard.jpg File:Side of the farmhouse.jpg File:Stone mangers .jpg File:Interior of the stables.jpg File:Backside of the farmhouse.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Farmhouse, The 18th-century establishments in Malta Abandoned buildings and structures Architectural controversies Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century Defunct schools in Malta Farmhouses in Malta Hunting lodges in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta Mellieħa National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The Devil in legend Vernacular architecture in Malta

History

Architecture

Cultural Heritage

Gallery

Further reading

References