St Gaetan Chapel

In the year 1657 George Mamo constructed St Gaetan Chapel near Mamo Tower, likewise built by him. The Mamo Family was a well-to-do family of the 17th Century and they owned tracts of land in this area. St Gaetan was an Italian priest of the 16th Century and this chapel was the first one dedicated to him in Malta. It has always been loved by local fishermen and certain inscriptions on the stone of the facade witness such devotion. Till the 1950s the feast of St Gaetan was still celebrated in this chapel on the 7th July. In the 1980s a small room was built on the roof to serve as a secluded place for priests wanting to spend some time in quiet and prayer, but it was soon removed on the authorities’ insistence that it was an environmental eyesore.

Grand Master Alof Wignacourt began building Fort St Thomas in the exact location where the enemy had landed in 1614, on a plot of land bought previously by the same Grand Master. This was the third tower for whose building Wignacourt himself paid the expenses. It is a much bigger tower than the ones usually seen on the coast, for it was intended to defend the bay and to store arms in it, not just as a look-out on the enemy.

 

St Nicholas Chapel

 

This chapel is clearly visible on the left from the road leading to Zonqor and coming from Zabbar. Two chapels dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari existed here till 1659, but in his pastoral visit of the same year, Bishop Balaguer had both of them closed as they were on the verge of collapsing. But a century later, the one still standing today known as Tas-Subricint, was rebuilt by John Baptist Azzopardi Barbara. The first stone was laid and blessed on July 10, 1759 by Rev.John Mary Azzopardi.

St Anthony Chapel

Another chapel dating back to the 17th century is the one dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, built (according to Notary Michael Angelo Attard), by Rev.Andrew Polladino in 1675 in the area known as Xaghra. It is sometimes known as St Anthony of Latmija. Till the year 1919 when Marsaskala became Vice-Parish, this chapel was still within the limits of Żejtun. The parvis is reached by a flight of six stairs and at the back of the chapel there is a small vestry.

The feast of St Anthony is still held annually on June 13th with a Mass and a short homily. Small loaves of bread are distributed amongst the congregation on this day. A small statue of St Anthony with a little metal ring attached to the back of the neck is found in the chapel. The fishermen used to take this statue with them when they went fishing and lowered it into the sea water, whilst praying the Saint to give them a good catch! It also used to be lowered by farmers inside their cisterns when it didnt rain for a long time.

Tac-Cintura Chapel

  Madonna tad-Dawl (Bidni) Chapel

Madonna of the Rosary Chapel

The Three Crosses

The Monument of the Three Crosses with the Passion Symbols, is an eye-catching curiosity. Who erected this monument and for what reason? In 1615, Zabbar together with Marsaskala, still formed part of the parish of Zejtun. 650 people inhabited Żabbar and they rightly begged the bishop to establish Żabbar as a separate and independent parish. The bishop acceded to their request and Rev. Angelo Pontremoli was appointed parish priest of the new parish of Żabbar. As was the practice, Bishop Cagliares established the limits of the young parish. As a matter of fact, a section of modern Marsaskala remained within the limits of Żejtun, while another part, which included the area where the first parish church of Marsaskala was built, fell within the limits of Żabbar. It is possible that the Three Crosses at Bidni were put up as an indication of the place where the limits of Żejtun and Żabbar met.

Guze Muscat Azzopardi gives three traditional versions regarding the origin of these crosses: three monks were killed by the Turks and buried there; a man died of the plague and was buried by the people of Żejtun; an elderly hermit was for three times buried there after repeatedly arising from death!

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