St Paul's Chapel in Attard has been under restoration for the past three years. This graceful Baroque chapel, situated in the area known as Taħ ir-Raħal, has been abandoned for decades.

St Paul's Chapel, built in 1729, is one of the few remaining chapels in Attard. Before this chapel there was another dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, built on the same site. A manuscript in the parish archives indicates that the latter chapel was built in 1629. In this manuscript one also finds descriptions of the origins of Attard and its church.

The Assumption Chapel was desecrated by Mgr Alpheran de Bussan in 1728, demolished and rebuilt by 1729; it was dedicated to St Paul's Shipwreck. Original documents, which reveal the expenses incurred for the cutting and construction of the chapel's foundation, are dated December 1728, while the chapel was finished in 1729, having cost 205 scudi, 8 tari and 6 grani.

The façade consists of one bay defined by two corner pilasters of the Doric order. Above the central doorway, which is decorated by mouldings, there is a frieze with the date '1729' in relief. Above the frieze is a segmental pediment and further above, right at the centre, there is Mgr Aplheran de Bussan's coat-of-arms in relief.

On both sides of the doorway are two small windows, one of which, according to evidence on the internal windowsills, was used for the collection of alms or oil for the suspended oil lamp.

The façade is finished with an architrave, frieze and cornice surmounted by a frontispiece crowned by a cross. At the sides are two oval finials and at roof level, there are two waterspouts.

On either side of the chapel are two clerestory windows. On one of the corner Doric pilasters, adjacent to the main façade is also a sun dial. At roof level are two belfries, one adjacent to the well (tromba) of the staircase, while the other lower belfry is next to an oval finial.

Internally, the chapel consists of one main central space crowned by a barrel vaulting ceiling. There is one main altar, having a stone table (mensa) and a carved wooden raised shelf (skannell). Behind the altar is an apse, embracing a finely carved stone frame, which now again holds the titular painting. At the top of this stone frame is a relief of two gracious puttini holding a circular stone frame topped by a shell. A string of bay leaves flow down the sides of the titular stone framework.

The titular painting depicts St Paul Shipwrecked together with St Publius and St Vincent de Paul. The artist was Arrigo Ornau, as indicated in the original accounts of the chapel, but who is widely known as Enrico Regnaud. There are another four frames at the side of the chapel, which formerly embraced the four paintings depicting the evangelists, attributed to Francesco Zahra.

Soon after I was asked to co-ordinate this restoration project, I presented a preliminary evaluation report of the chapel's structural conditions. These revealed some malpractices in previous restoration interventions, and proposals were set out to find a remedy.

Architect Shirley Cefai, an expert in this field, prepared the plans and reports for the required interventions and applied for the actual restoration project permit, which Mepa eventually issued. A request was also presented to the Archbishop's Curia and later approved.

Funds were provided by the various sponsors I found. Works progressed according to plans. A new stone cross on the frontispiece and a waterspout (miżieb), at one side of the church, at roof level, replaced those missing.

Parts of the main door's frame which were badly deteriorated were replaced, and stone repairs on the whole structure were made, only where required, thus ensuring the authenticity of the structure.

A thorough cleaning of the walls was carried out to free them from a cement-based mixture used in prior interventions to the detriment of the stone.

Meanwhile, a permeable mixture was used to plaster the walls again. These were repainted with porous paint.

The wooden apertures were also restored, and glass panes were fixed to the windows. Electricity cables and other equipment, which surrounded the chapel's walls on the outside, were removed. The roof was repaired and the floor repolished.

The altar was also restored, yet the raised shelf , which was painted a long time ago, needs restoration as it was originally gilded. The titular painting was put back in place. The chapel has regained its elegance.

St Paul's Chapel was re-opened on July 25. A book about St Paul's Chapel and other chapels in Attard, written by Mr Saliba, was launched for the occasion.

Contact the parish office to obtain a copy. For more information, e-mail renosaliba@yahoo.com.

Reno Saliba was restoration co-ordinator on the project