The annual celebration in honour of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary at the medieval church of Ħal Millieri, Żurrieq, is being held today. The chapel will be open to the public from 9am to 6pm and Mass will be celebrated at 10am, followed by the blessing of the adjoining churchyards.

Din l-Art Ħelwa, the volunteer heritage organisation which holds the chapel in trust, will give guided tours of the site at 11.15am and at 3.30pm.

The church of the Annunciation is a major landmark of Malta’s medieval past.

The present edifice dates to around 1450, but archeological excavations have shown that it was built over the site of an earlier, possibly 13th-century chapel, and a much older late-Roman rural complex.

The Ħal Millieri church is best known for its medieval architectural features, and for its unique set of frescoe paintings that adorn its side walls between the springing of the arches. This anachronistic cycle of holy effigies, which is believed to have been copied from the earlier chapel, has been expertly restored through the efforts of Din l-Art Ħelwa, as fine exemplars of Maltese medieval vernacular art.

The church can be reached from Imqabba Road at the Żurrieq entrance to Blue Grotto Avenue; or from Diamond Jubilee Square (Fuq il-Mentna) at the end of the Imqabba bypass.