Endangered Siggiewi chapel focal point of Holy Week activities

The Annunzjata chapel, situated near is-Salib tal-Gholja in the limits of Siggiewi, remains cordoned off to the public two years after two long fissures developed along its side and façade, threatening to topple the structure.

The chapel is the focal point for Holy Week celebrations with thousands of pilgrims gathering each year on Maundy Thursday to walk up the steep, candlelit hill in prayer.

This Thursday's events will still go ahead without interruption, but the public will not be able to get close to the chapel, as a safety measure.

Robert Musumeci, mayor of Siggiewi and himself an architect who did his post-graduate dissertation on the chapel, estimates that it could cost over Lm100,000 to carry out restoration works, which would include studies to establish the extent of the damage, the area's geology, and soil stabilisation techniques.

However, the money is not easy to come by and the Siggiewi parish, which is responsible for the chapel, cannot cough up such an amount.

"We depend on the generosity of our parishioners and the money we collect goes towards the main parish church - sadly the restoration costs of the chapel go beyond our resources," parish priest Albert Buhagiar said.

Fr Buhagiar said the chapel, which sits on a plateau on the outskirts of the village, was part of the national heritage and he appealed for proposals for its restoration.

"Together maybe we can pool our resources to do the works. We welcome any proposals," he said.

The chapel, one of the foremost surviving examples of early 19th Century sacred buildings, was built no fewer than five times between 1430 and 1857.

Mr Musumeci said the chapel was destroyed twice by earthquakes and documentation exists on the other reconstructions.

"The fact that in spite of the recurring damage, interventions were taken to prolong its life, portrays the important role that it plays in the spiritual life of the Siggiewi community," he said.

Despite the fact that the chapel has ceased to fulfil its pastoral role and has been largely neglected, its confines are a major attraction to tourists and locals.

"The overall scale, detail and proportion encapsulated in the chapel's architecture merge into one single architectural masterpiece which is worth preserving," he said.

One of the reasons the chapel is in its present precarious state is because it lies on blue clay, which makes an unsteady foundation.

Mr Musumeci said there were three options available: either allow its natural process of deterioration; or hope for a structural solution to stabilise the bedrock, which could prove to be technically impossible. In which case, one would have to limit the works to routine maintenance and replacement of the destroyed sections.

Meanwhile, the voluntary group Hbieb l-Akbar Grajja, together with Siggiewi local council, are this Thursday organising the annual candlelit pilgrimage which starts from St Nicholas Square at 8.30 p.m.

An atmosphere of repentance and meditation will be created along the footpath leading to is-Salib tal-Gholja through religious hymns sung by the Zabbar Notre Dame choir, the Young Voices of Siggiewi and the Angelicum choir of Qormi.

There will also be a dramatic pageant illustrating episodes from the Passion of Christ.