Laferla Cross to be illuminated for Holy Week

The Siġġiewi local council will illuminate the way to the Laferla Cross and the Annunciation chapel with artificial lights on the eve of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, in keeping with its yearly tradition.

Maltese fjakkoli will illuminate the path, starting at the statue depicting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and leading to the hill of the Cross, transforming the surroundings into a Way of the Cross.

Dun Pawl Laferla from Siġġiewi had the cross built in 1903 in celebration of the turn of the century. Adorned with statues representing the passion of Jesus Christ, the steep path soon became the symbol of the Way of the Cross.

In 1937, a fierce storm destroyed the original cross, the work of Ġanni Mercieca from Naxxar, and was replaced in 1963 by another cross manufactured in Italy and made of iron and covered in bronze. Threatened by erosion and in danger of collapse, the cross was restored by Maltese craftsmen in 1984.

The Siġġiewi council first lit up the cross and the Annunciation chapel in 1994 and thousands visit the site each year.

The council called on those who planned to visit the Laferla Cross this year to do so in a spirit of worship and silence and to respect the natural environment of the surroundings.