Dar Saura in Rabat will be converted into an empowerment hub for children and young people with disabilities after the Archdiocese of Malta handed over the multimillion-euro property to the Malta Trust Foundation for 65 years.

The 17th-century home, which until recently served as a home for the elderly, will come to life when Malta’s first Centre for Music and Arts, Villabianca, relocates to larger premises to address the extensive waiting list.

The Archdiocese’s altruistic decision to hand over the property - worth €25 million and covering an expanse of 5,500 square metres - was sealed during a signing ceremony held in the presence of Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna and Malta Trust Foundation chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.

“The best use of church property is when it is destined for a social purpose, especially helping those who need the most support. I hope Dar Saura will become a state-of-the-art hub empowering children and youth with disabilities to engage with their skills and discover and nurture their full potential through music and the arts,” the Archbishop said.

Dar Saura in Rabat. Photo: Archdiocese of Malta – Ian Noel Pace

The Grade 1 scheduled property is being granted as a gratuitous loan to the foundation, which will be tapping EU and public funds to restore and upgrade the home, including the rehabilitation of the chapel dedicated to St Nicholas.

The property, which will cost about €10 million to convert, can be renovated to accommodate a variety of activities without adversely affecting its Class A status.

Coleiro Preca described the agreement as a historic moment that would position Malta as a hub in the Mediterranean for young people, who as a consequence of their disadvantaged background or disability struggled to develop their potential.

"My dream is to see this hub become a one-stop-shop for families to see their children with disabilities thrive; a place where they can grow, develop their abilities and be empowered to go out into the world,” Coleiro Preca said.

Villabianca Centre for Music and the Arts opened in November 2021 and has grown to such an extent that it has a waiting list of 250.

When the Ta’ Saura Empowerment Hub opens in two years, it will provide a space for up to 500 children and young people who under expert guidance can explore the therapeutic power of music, dance and the arts.

The property’s extensive land will allow the foundation to create an occupational therapeutic centre, a social enterprise, multipurpose halls for training, a petting farm, and a multi-sensory room.

Eventually, the plan is to provide studio apartments to house foreign music therapists and professionals working at the hub, as well as space for workshops.

This is the second time in five years that the Archdiocese of Malta is gifting properties to help NGOs who are making a tangible difference to people’s lives. In 2019, the Archbishop handed over church premises, known as Adelaide Cini Institute in Santa Venera to Hospice Malta.