Gozo's cultural heritage misery

The collapse of the right wall of the medieval St Cecilia chapel in Għajnsielem - the only such surviving building of its kind in Gozo - speaks volumes about the current state of affairs regarding the island's cultural heritage.

Neglect, insensitivity and mediocrity have been reigning supreme for many years and, unfortunately, the authorities are not showing any interest to stop the consistent and systematic deterioration of the island's cultural fabric: the island is becoming culturally poorer at an alarming rate and its irreplaceable character being continuously drained.

One would expect the Ministry for Gozo to lead by example in the nurturing of the values of appreciation and affection towards our cultural heritage and the safeguarding of Gozo's unique identity which is the actual existence of the island and its inhabitants. Once the authentic spirit of the island is extinguished, the island will perish. The long-drawn-out St Cecilia episode is a vivid manifestation of the unwillingness and selfishness that is rampant in this field.

The 20th century saw many important architectural, archaeological and artistic treasures disappear. The embarrassingly long list includes the demolition of the fine medieval French cemetery (next to the Augustinian church) in Victoria, the dismantling of the old Xewkija parish church and the Gourgion tower in the same village, the pulling down of the church of St Joseph next to St George's Basilica in Victoria, the unsightly opening of the new entrance to the Citadel, the part-demolition of St James church on Independence Square in Victoria and its substitution with a mediocre and disgraceful façade (which remains one of the sorest thumbs in the centre of the city), the bulldozing of the British cemetery at Fort Chambray, the irrevocable damage to the Punic tomb at Ras il-Wardija - besides the obliteration of paintings in various churches. Apart from this, innumerable fine examples of domestic dwellings in towns, villages and countryside alike have been erased to make way for construction by greedy developers.

Some of the cases mentioned above occurred at a time when education and knowledge about the preservation, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Malta was largely non-existent. Now, however, times have changed. Yet the systematic deterioration of buildings and other artistic treasures has continued. Take - to mention but a few - the artistic havoc that has been wreaked in the choir of the Sannat parish church as a result of a badly-informed programme of redecoration (where antique choir stalls were literally burnt down), the destruction of Joseph Sagona's Santa Lucija church dome decoration, and the arbitrary installation of two bronze statues on the steps of the Gozo Cathedral (which have utterly ruined the harmony of Lorenzo Gafa's masterpiece).

In the meantime, one is also witnessing the continuous dissolution of the glorious Citadel fortifications (the back part is rapidly deteriorating) and neglect within the Citadel itself, the crumbling of the 19th century aqueducts on the Ta' Pinu road and the constant damage that is being inflicted on Giuseppe Briffa's important paintings and Francesco Saverio Sciortino's equally significant decoration on the ceiling of the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Nadur. It is high time that something is done about the fate of these important ­treasures.

Although I am sure that in most cases restoration programmes are being undertaken in good faith, I am not convinced by the methodology being applied. Recent episodes include the ongoing 'restoration' of the statue and plinth of the Virgin and Child in the external courtyard of the Bishop's Conservatory in Pietro Pace Street, Victoria, in which the entire pedestal was demolished, thrown into a skip and built anew.

Meanwhile, in St Francis Square, the stone cross, column and dado have been removed, while the two steps leading to the cross have been left on site, continually run over by vehicles and trucks. Can the competent authorities state the type of conservation philosophy that is being applied in these projects? One at least expects some information onsite to explain what is happening.

Another outrageous accretion has also appeared on Carlo Pisi's World War II Memorial (1947) in Independence Square in Victoria. Someone me up with the brilliant idea to affix a fibre-glass laurel wreath to the base of the monument. It is incredible that there are people who think they can add and alter works of art or monuments, as in this case, according to their own whims.

On a more optimistic note, Mepa gave the green light to the opening of a museum in the heart of Gozo's capital: the museum of St George's Basilica. The various notable artistic treasures in the collection of this church - many of which are key works to the understanding of Gozo's artistic development - certainly require such a space where they can be conserved, studied and appreciated.

Interested parties should not hesitate to support this very important and bold initiative. One also hopes that the Prime Minister's mention, during the last Budget, of setting up a museum of contemporary art in Gozo is seriously taken up. As an artist, I indeed feel that this could be a true asset in the generation of an artistic ethos of quality on the island.

This sorry and saddening state of affairs can be changed if there is a wholehearted and responsible determination that is led by professionals, and whoever is in government later on this year gives full priority to the island's cultural legacy which is, alas, in rapid decline.