Cultural tour of Qrendi and Mqabba

Next Sunday’s Malta Council for Culture and the Arts cultural tour will take participants to venues in Qrendi and Mqabba.

Professional guides will visit Santa Katerina Chapel, also know as ‘Tat-Torba’ and ‘ta’ Bieb iz-Żejtunija’. It is one of the earliest chapels built in the Maltese islands dedicated to this saint. Its architecture is most uncommon for the time with a barrel shaped ceiling.

Inside, visitors will find only one altar elevated from the tiled floor, decorated by a prospective with sculpted angels in stone, supporting the titular painting of St Catherine.

Tour participants will visit Il-Ġnien tal-Kmandant established by Sir Alexander John Ball, a rear admiral and close friend of Admiral Lord Nelson, who directed the blockade of Malta and served as governor of the island between 1802 and 1809.

Ball died on the October 25, 1809 and was buried in Malta. His love for nature brought about the building of a number of gardens for use by the village’s temporary lieutenant or mayor’s in a good number of localities.

These gardens, often referred to as Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, were built in Qrendi, Mqabba, Ghaxaq, Gudja, Żejtun, Għargħur, Safi (known as il-Ġnien ta’ Ball) and Lija.

Part of the tour will include a visit to It-Torri tal-Kaptan which formerly housed the captain of the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. It is one of Qrendi’s most prominent monuments and is unique.

It is believed that San Michele tower in Ostia, designed in 1560 and attributed to Michelangelo Buon-arroti, built by Nanni di Baccio Biglio between 1567 and 1570, could have easily influenced this towers design.

The tour will include a visit to a private insect exhibition in a medieval dwelling within the heart of Qrendi. Here, one can come across a private collection of insect exhibits collected, mounted and catalogued by Denis Magro.

This private collection is housed in a former medieval blacksmith’s lodge, where one can also see the original forge and tools, together with other masonry features within this country house of character.

The tour will then conclude with a visit to the Old Hospital in Mqabba said to date back to the 16th century when an epidemic took the lives of 11 per cent of the population.

Applications and more information may be downloaded from www.maltaculture.com or visit MCCA, 230 Republic Street, Valletta.

Participants may book for one or more tours. The price is €12 for adults and €9.50 for senior citizens and children. Bookings must be made by Wednesday.

Tours depart from Sliema (opposite the Nazzarenu Church) and Floriana (near the Phoenicia Hotel).

For further information, e-mail noel.damato@maltaculture.com.