WATCH: Explorer Calls For Preservation Of Beautifully Historic Kalkara Chapel That Survived World War II
Maltese explorer and history enthusiast Pierre Farrugia has called for the preservation of Our Saviour’s Gate which serves as the facade of a chapel in Kalkara.
“Angelo and I explored Our Saviour’s Gate or as we know it, Bieb Is-Salvatur, in Kalkara. It houses a beautiful chapel that still has frescoes on its walls, along with the signs of WWII bombing,” Farrugia told Lovin Malta.
The gate was built during the reign of Grandmaster Ramon Perellos y Rocafull in the 1700s and it forms part of the Cottonera Gates which was one of the biggest fortification projects undertaken by the Knights in Malta.
These fortifications were built in the hopes to house 40,000 people, including their animals, out of fear of an Ottoman attack in the late 1600s.
The Saviour’s Gate took its name from the adjacent Fort built in 1724 to provide cover from any artillery attacks from Salvatore Hill.
To add to this, our Saviour’s curtain, found between the demi-bastion of Saint Lawrence and the bastion of Our Saviour, is named after Kalkara’s hill which bears the same name.
Farrugia posted a video of his adventure through the ruins, showing his viewers areas which were bombed and frescoes that have remained semi-intact centuries later.
“From the outside, it looks like a regular chapel,” Farrugia told Lovin Malta.
“Once inside, one will be surprised by the the beauty it must have once had, although in my eyes it still has it.”
“The first thing you can notice is the gaping hole in the ceiling from a World War II bomb – from then on, the chapel was sent to its demise. Now it lies in ruins.”
“As you enter, you can start seeing these beautiful frescoes.”
“I was born and raised in Kalkara so it has a special place in my heart,” Farrugia warmly explained.
“Also, the local council and Wirt Il-Kalkara do a very good job in preserving our history, and I hope that one day that they save this beautiful chapel too.”
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