Wirt Ghawdex is proud to announce that The Baron Group is offering a full sponsorship for the project and is currently carrying out the restoration work. All emergency work has been completed and we are now in the process of preparing a method statement for approval by MEPA to continue the restoration work.
The St. Cecilia Chapel is the only one on the island dating back to medieval times. It is dedicated to Santa Cecilia, patroness of music, whose feast was celebrated on November 22 when it was fully functional. It served amongst other the family of Manduca Piscopo who was commandant of the near-by tower - The Santa Cecilia Tower.
Though nothing is known about its origins, it is undoubtedly very old. It is said that it was built about 1540 and the oldest reference concerning this chapel is recorded in the Pastoral Visit of 1615. It was completely restored by 1630 and continued to function until 1644 when it was declared unfit for the celebration of the mass and as a consequence was deconsecrated.
The chapel is built in a style prevalent in the late medieval period. It is a plain cube with a slightly pitched roof. The chapel is built of stone with the front elevation formed in regularized blocks while the other walls are in random rubble stonework. Three steps lead down to the chapel floor which is about a metre below ground level. The only light source to the interior is a single rectangular window over the door.
