National trust restores 17th century chapel

St John Evangelist chapel of Hal Millieri, a 17th century reconstruction of an earlier medieval wayside building, has been restored by Din l-Art Helwa, Malta's national trust, with the generous help of Maltapost.

The trust said the support by Maltapost enabled it to see to urgent works to the chapel's façade, secure crumbling stonework, redecorate internal walls and floors and make good the damage caused by recent vandalism.

The chapel was inaugurated and blessed yesterday by Archbishop Mgr Joseph Mercieca.

Research by Din L-Art Helwa historians shows evidence that in the lost medieval hamlet of Hal Millieri, in the limits of Zurrieq, four tiny chapels had been erected, all within a stone's throw of each other. In addition to the well documented chapel of the Annunciation, which Din l-Art Helwa already holds in trust, and its abutting ruin of the chapel of the Visitation, there existed two other chapels.

One, already noted in 1481, was dedicated to the martyrdom of St John the Evangelist whose feast was celebrated on May 6.

The other was dedicated to the holy apparition of St Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano, whose feast is celebrated on May 8.

Of the two, however, only St John's chapel remains but the boundary walls of a small orchard flanking its north side mark the site of what was once the chapel of St Michael and its atrium.

An important architectural detail of the chapel of St John the Evangelist is that its humble façade is decorated by an ornamental portal identical to that which was once moved from St Michael's chapel to become the gateway of the Annunciation precincts.

According to tradition, both doorways came from the old parish church at Zurrieq. This was rebuilt in the 17th century at about the same time these two Hal Millieri chapels were reconstructed and the reuse of the elegant doorways gives testimony to the fact that their importance was recognised by the 16th century Maltese architects of the time.

A lovely low walled parapet, typical of village chapels, surrounded the chapel's parvis and protected the chapel's façade but this, unfortunately, was demolished in recent years.

The chapel still contains the original titular canvas that was commissioned by its procurator, Don Vitorio Cutajar. It depicts St John composing the Apocalypse with an apparition of the Virgin and is the work of a "Signor Vincenzo" who was paid over 25 scudi for it in 1765. The floor is paved with square stone slabs, on one of which is a beautiful graffito of a three-masted sloop.

The completion of the restoration work on St John Evangelist allows this second chapel to be a fitting neighbour to the chapel of the Annunciation, which has been held in trust by Din l-Art Helwa for over 30 years and hosts an important cycle of Byzantine frescoes. The two chapels, together with the small square lined with ancient rubble walls and village cross, make this countryside corner of Zurrieq a unique part of Malta's religious and rural heritage, the national trust said.

The Archbishop was welcomed at Hal Millieri by Martin Galea, executive president of Din l-Art Helwa, Martin Scicluna and other officials of the organisation as well as by David Stellini, chairman of Maltapost.

In discussions with the Archbishop, it was hoped that the chapel would be formally granted in trust to Din l-Art Helwa by the ecclesiastical authorities nearly 30 years after the Church granted the first Hal Millieri chapel of the Annunciation to the heritage organisation and as a sign of encouragement to Din l-Art Helwa which this year celebrates the 40th anniversary of its foundation.