Chances are you've walked by this chapel and didn't even realise it.
Tucked away amongst the grandeur of Gozo’s historic Cittadella, one can find a tiny gem of a chapel that dates all the way back to the 16th century…
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Centuries ago, towards the beginning of the 17th century, Bishop Baldassare Caglaires had visited Gozo, where he came across this decades-old chapel dedicated to St Nicholas.
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Nowadays, this same painting can be found in the Gozo Cathedral instead. An exact replica of the painting was hung in the chapel.
St Joseph’s Chapel was badly affected by the infamously disastrous earthquake of 1693, however it was not long before it was restored to its former glory.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the chapel was pretty much abandoned – that is, until Sir Harry Luke became Governor Lieutenant of the Maltese islands following his arrival in 1930.
Upon his appointment, Sir Harry made it his mission to restore all of Malta’s historically rich buildings. Cittadella’s chapel benefitted from this initiative, however it was closed up yet again after a few years.
In 1973, a group of local men and altar boys decided to give the chapel another well-needed round of restoration, as it had been well over 50 years since any work had been on it. On 19th October, 1975, it was opened once again in all its glory.
Nowadays, the small yet historically rich chapel gets decorated and opened for mass once a year, during the feast of St Joseph on 19th March.
Have you ever visited this chapel?
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