The parvis of a chapel originally built in 1550 and rebuilt almost a century later was bulldozed during a road widening project, Times of Malta has learnt.
The chapel, dedicated to St James, lies on the road behind the Addolorata Cemetery chapel, between Paola and Luqa.
More than a metre of the parvis was destroyed by jackhammers over the weekend, sparking the anger of Luqa residents who reported the matter to the parish priest, Fr Michael Zammit.
“Had residents not told me about it, I would not have realised what was happening. No one bothered speaking to us in advance. They just went there and demolished part of the parvis to reduce it to a pavement, with all the dangers it brings along. This is national heritage we are dealing with,” Fr Zammit said when contacted.
The chapel belongs to the Luqa parish though it lies on the boundary with Santa Luċija.
Infrastructure Malta will be repairing and upgrading the concrete slab
Fr Zammit said Mass was held there once a year to mark the feast of the patron saint in July, which, he noted, was usually well-attended. It is occasionally also used for private Mass. The chapel was, until recently, looked after by an elderly couple but they had to give up the job and another couple had now assumed responsibility.
The Archbishop’s Curia’s administrative secretary, Michael Pace Ross said the Church had been assured by the architect and the Roads Ministry that the parvis would not be touched during the project.
The widening of the road would lead to traffic passing closer to the chapel and would have an impact on the historic building, which was rebuilt in 1623 and was restored in recent years, he said.
“Roads are being widened at the expense of heritage, culture and the environment,” Mr Pace Ross remarked.
A spokesman for Infrastructure Malta said the parvis, which he described as a “concrete slab”, had to be removed to make way for a footpath.
“Part of the existing concrete slab in front of the chapel needed to be temporarily removed to build the foundations of the new footpath, in line with the plans and new road alignment approved by the Planning Authority.
“Once the footpath is constructed, Infrastructure Malta will be repairing and upgrading the concrete slab and its low boundary wall to make it safer and more accessible to people who visit this chapel,” he said.
He added that the reconstruction of Luqa Road would also see the introduction of a new cycling and walking track, among other upgrades.
Beneath the new road surface, Infrastructure Malta is laying a new 1.2-kilometre long potable water pipeline and several telecommunications networks to help improve the quality of the services in nearby localities. A new 1.8-kilometre long storm water system is also being built along the sides of the road.
The rebuilding of Triq Ħal-Luqa is co-financed by the European Union, within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund.