The Hill of Laferla Cross and its immediate surroundings in the limits of Siġġiewi will shortly undergo rehabilitation to enhance accessibility and attract more tourists to appreciate the panoramic view.
Speaking from the top the hill, better known as Is-Salib tal-Għolja, yesterday, EU Funds Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg said the project would make use of some €300,000 allocated from the EU’s Rural Development Programme for Malta.
Siġġiewi mayor Karol Aquilina said the project would encompass the paving of the area surrounding the cross, the hill leading to the cross and the steep pathway behind it.
The project will make use of €300,000 of EU funds
The project, which would make use of materials that complement the rural environs, will start within two weeks’ and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Dr Aquilina said the scheme included benches and the setting up of temporary stands which may be used for cultural and folkloristic activities.
Since 1994, when the Laferla Cross was first lit by the local council, the location has became a popular place where the faithful gather to ascend the steep Via Crucis.
This is lined with statues depicting the passion of Christ crafted some 100 years ago.
Tomorrow, Maundy Thursday, a procession will ascend the Via Crucis at 8.30pm, and will be illuminated by traditional lanterns (fjakkoli).
Dr Aquilina appealed to the government, the Church and the public to help restore the Annunciation Chapel, which is located next to the cross.
First erected in 1430, the chapel collapsed and was rebuilt some five times. Between 2000 and 2002, it experienced extensive damage and has been lying in a state of disarray ever since. A part of the ceiling has caved in and the chapel was closed off to the public.
History of the chapel and cross
• The Annunciation Chapel, next to the cross, was built in 1430 by Canon Tonna. It is marked on old maps.
• It was rebuilt in 1464 and 1650. It collapsed after an earthquake in 1693 and again in 1856 and in 1923.
• It was known for a time as Santa Marija ta’ Kemmuna, as the surrounding land was known as Ta’ Kem-muna before it became known as Tal-Għolja.
• The chapel’s history is marked in a plaque inside the chapel. There is a note scribbled in pencil and signed as “P. La Ferla”.
• Dun Pawl Laferla, then archpriest of Siġġiewi, erected the cross in 1903, although he died before its completion. In 1896, he installed the Via Crucis statues.
• The cross was damaged in 1937, reinstalled in 1963 and once again removed in 1982 and restored in 1984.