Heritage Malta will be opening four of its museums for free on Republic Day.

These museums include: The Inquisitor’s Palace, Ġgantija Temples, Ta’ Kola Windmill and St Paul’s Catacombs.

Several events and exhibitions will be organised for visitors throughout the day.

The Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa will have an exhibition of works by Carmelo Agius (1922-2004) on display. This exhibition, titled Carmelo Agius, A Tribute to a Prolific Artisan is the second in a serious of thematic temporary displays of works by this artist, who inherited the traditional skills of modelling clay figurines from his father Toni, who produced crib figures.

Apart from crib figurines, he also modelled miniatures of Good Friday sculptures, objets-d’art for church and altar models and a multitude of processional statues.

Mr Agius’s clay figurines are of remarkable ethnographic value and form part of the national collection.

Ġgantija Temples and Ta’ Kola Windmill, located in Xagħra, Gozo, will feature guided tours. The tour of Ġgantija Temples will start at 11 a.m., while that of Ta’ Kola Windmill at noon.

Ta’ Kola Windmill is located within walking distance of Ġganitja Temples and therefore visitors taking the Ggantija tour can easily proceed to Ta’ Kola.

This windmill is one of the few surviving windmills on the Maltese islands dating back to the Knights’ period. It is a fine example of the rural economy and domestic life of Gozo in past centuries, and houses original milling mechanism, millers’ tools, as well as the blacksmith’s and carpenter’s workshop.

General guided tours of St Paul’s Catacombs will start at 10.30 a.m. and at 2.30 p.m.

A tour focusing on the St Paul’s Catacombs ERDF project and related works currently being undertaken within the catacombs system found in Rabat is scheduled to begin at 11.30 a.m. These tours will be held in Maltese. Audio guides in foreign languages will also be available.

Doors will be open from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m.; last admission at 4.30 p.m.