Kilin revisits his 'wayside chapels'

Forty Years Ago, Michael C. Spiteri (Kilin), who is better known as the author of various novels in Maltese, contributed rough pencil sketches and short weekly notes to Lehen is-Sewwa.

Kilin thus drew the attention of the public to the sadly neglected treasure represented by the hundreds of small churches and chapels scattered all over Malta and Gozo. The response was marvellous, as public-spirited persons and later Din l-Art Helwa itself took in hand the restoration of certain important small churches, such as those of Hal Millieri and Bir Miftuh.

Kilin published over a hundred of the short articles in four booklets. In spite of various historical inaccuracies, they were very popular.

Twenty years later, Kilin consulted documents and experts and published the collection with more carefully drawn pen and ink sketches, in one book, A Maltese Mosaic. Six years ago Heritage Books published the collection in an elegant booklet, A Hundred Wayside Chapels of Malta and Gozo.

Last month Kilin turned 89. In his own words, he decided "it was time to rest my busy pen and indulge in my favourite hobby: painting in water-colours". The subject? The wayside chapels, of course.

But it was not to be just a series of sketches of the architecture. He wanted to bring out as much as possible the character of each chapel, with the help of the weather, one or more humans, and an ever-present dog.

Kilin insists he is nothing but a self-taught amateur, but this does not prevent him from injecting a joke or a bit of satire in his sketches. He even permits himself a measure of "poetic" licence, shifting trees, rocks and whatever to suit his fancy. For instance, do not try and locate the rocky ledge shown on the picture of the Annunciation at the Lunzjata valley in Gozo. The valley is at its deepest at that spot.

The Sunday Times will be publishing Kilin's water-colours of wayside chapels over the next few months. The first two are being reproduced here.