Call for protection of wayside chapel

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna has joined Wirt Ghawdex in condemning the recent act of vandalism on the oldest mediaeval chapel in Gozo.

FWA said it was a shame that despite the repeated calls by Wirt Ghawdex and other NGOs to save the Santa Cecilia Chapel in Ghajnsielem, the authorities had failed to act for more than 10 years over an expropriation order related to the land on which the chapel stands.

It said the chapel formed an integral part of the rich religious and rural heritage of the islands and deserved full protection.

Dedicated to Saint Cecilia, Virgin and martyr from the third century and patroness of Church music, the chapel is first recorded in a pastoral visit of 1615 when its only internal ornament is reported to have been a crucifix.

It is square in shape, has a low pitched roof supported by pointed arches and is considered as one of the best preserved un-aisled examples of early wayside chapels in the country.

Following the recent despicable acts, FWA feels that government should make sure that this structure is offered the highest level of protection possible.

One way of achieving this would be to allocate the chapel to Wirt Ghawdex to restore and use as they have been asking to do for so long.