The article by Fabian Mangion about the Plague of 1813 (The Sunday Times of Malta, May 19) was very interesting.

I should add that besides Saint Roche Birkirkara and Our Lady Causa Nostrae Leitiae of Senglea, the Statue of St Sebastian at Qormi was also erected in the same period as a votive offering for deliverance from the plague.

Other votive offerings are numerous around the island.

Żebbuġ village was one of the worst hit by this plague. In fact, a cemetery was purposely built along a country road from Żebbuġ to Rabat. A large statue of Our Lady of the Rosary was also erected in the area known as Ħal-Dwin.

A long time ago, from this same area an old lady living in one of the old houses gave me a piece of stone petra which she held from her ancestors as a relic from the cave in which Santa Rosalia of Sicily lived as a hermit. This lady recounts how her ancestors prayed to Santa Rosalia for deliverance from this plague.

St Rosalia died in 1166 and is venerated as the patron saint of Palermo.

Sicily was heavily hit by the plague of 1623-24 and ceased through the intervention of Santa Rosalia.