Tal-Virtù chapel being restored

At last the appeals made by Prof. Mario Buhagiar, Mgr. John Azzopardi and myself for the restoration of Tal-Virtù chapel have been heeded.

I got to know this from a booklet containing the programme of the festivities being held at St Paul's collegiate church, Rabat, in honour of Corpus Christi and to mark the 2,000th birth anniversary of St Paul. On page 59, under the heading 'Activities at Wignacourt Museum', I read that an actual-size copy of the altar-piece of Tal-Virtù by Vincentius Baiada of 1611 has been given to the chapel "which is being restored".

I was very glad to read this as I had nearly lost hope that this chapel would be saved.

The chapel was built after the earthquake of 1693 and replaced another one having the same plan as the medieval chapel of Ħal Millieri and built around the same time. Tal-Virtù chapel was given to the Austin Friars through an Apostolic Brief by Pope Alexander VII.