Forewarning on St Julians chapel

The damage in the belfry of the Immaculate Conception Chapel at St Julians (January 16) has saddened me in more ways than one. This chapel and the immediate area of St Julians Bay brings back cherished memories of my youth, and to see it so uncared for hurts me deeply.

It hurts me even more when I recall that some years back, I had been asked by a civic-minded private individual to inspect this chapel and particularly its roof and belfry, and to report on its state.

In this report, dated August 8 2007, I had clearly highlighted the precarious structural state of the belfry, and this report was sent to the parish priest and to the local council, among others. I had myself unofficially brought up the subject of the urgent repairs required to persons in authority. Besides other comments on the state of the vaulted ceiling of the chapel, I had stated that "the heavy bronze bells are precariously resting on a rusted metal beam which in turn is supported on small deteriorated corbels. The damage to this belfry is now so advanced that there is a reasonable risk of collapse".

The report ended with a plea for urgent repair and restoration of this belfry and also of the frontispizju which is also badly weathered.

Had the temporary structural scaffolding recommended in the report been carried out at that time, the damage we are now all witnessing could have been avoided.

Let's now hope that this occurrence will prod the authorities to find the necessary funds for all maintenance and restoration works to one of the few historical buildings of St Julians.