There are some genuine hidden gems in the capital Valletta, many of which are off the main tourist thoroughfares and which won’t make it to the city’s ‘must see’ list. Among our favourites are Casa Rocca Piccola, Palazzo de la Salle and the Notarial Archives.

The latter has been under the radar for a long time, but has been brought to light recently thanks to on-going restoration works and because they are the subject of a new exhibition by renowned photographer Alex Attard. In it, Alex goes beyond the ‘paper treasures’ in the archives to find beauty in the ones that have been damaged over the years. To achieve his stunning results, he spent three years on an emotional journey, going through aspects of the island’s history he didn’t even know existed.

“On one side I was fascinated by the often-incredible recorded events contained in these documents and, from another artistic perspective, I was captivated by how paper and ink could still have an after-life having been destroyed during the last war and over the passage of time. The archives are really underappreciated guardians of our nation’s history,” Alex says.

Echoing this, Dr Joan Abela, the consultant historian for the Notarial Archives ERDF Rehabilitation project, explains that the archives are a wonderful treasure trove if you’re interested in discovering curiosities from a time that seems very detached from present realities. “They are testimony to the wishes of people from all walks of life,” she says. “As a historian, I am intrigued by episodes that reveal the realities – sometimes harsh – of everyday life then. They were episodes that moulded Maltese society and transmit our ancestors’ joys, fears, hopes and faith.”

Here, Joan and Alex share some of the stories and anecdotes that they have unearthed from the pages stored within the Notarial Archives.

1. Mother vs wife

“Some fascinating stories come to us in the form of personal letters that were presented by the Notary of the time as documentary evidence in a court case involving a corsair, his wife and his mother,” Alex says. “The corsair was Pietro Stellini who, after being shipwrecked in a bad storm, was captured and sold as a slave in Tripoli in 1772. Some months earlier, Stellini had been involved in a profitable expedition that left him very well off. Once news of his enslavement reached Malta, both his mother and his wife set out to take possession of his property and ended up in court.

“The letters were sent by Stellini while a slave in Tripoli and, from them, the difference in the relationships between him, his mother and his wife become strikingly clear. While the letter addressed to his mother is very emotional and loving, starting with ‘My dear beloved mother’, the tone used to address his wife is quite the opposite and begins by stating, ‘Dear wife, I give you the bad news which you have long longed for and which you often hoped would reach you – the news that I have become a wretched slave’. He continues to lament about her family, how they always disrespected him and that he knew they would rejoice on hearing this news. A whole set of marital problems ensue, making these letters very touching and, in many ways, so very realistic even by today’s standards. It is such documentation that makes the Notarial Archives deserving of its title: ‘Mother of All Archives’.”

2. Domestic violence

“In an act dated ‘14 July 1718’ we meet Diana Farrugia who, in the presence of Notary Giuseppe Callus, appoints a male procurator to safeguard her rights over her dowry,” Joan explains, adding that, through the manuscript we discover that poor Diana was a victim of domestic violence, and of her husband Francesco’s continuous mistreatment and beatings.

“She was now so desperate for money that she was requesting the Court give her full rights over her property, which was donated to her by her family as part of her inheritance and which constituted her marriage dowry. Diana appointed a prominent member of the Borgia family as her power of attorney, a fact that seems to have made the members of the Valletta town council offer her shelter in their offices until the problems with her husband were resolved. In many ways, it is sad proof that, while we may have more education today, some things have not changed.”

3. Humanist quotes

“One day while browsing through the 16th century documents belonging to Notary Brandano Caxaro, I came across some beautifully illustrated front pages,” Joan continues. “Among the beautiful drawings I noted a quote taken from a Latin text that made me curious to know more. To my amazement, these quotes ended up being extracts from early 16th-century textbooks that the Catholic Church had prohibited at the time.

“The textbooks were the famous Colloquia (Dialogues) of Erasmus of Rotterdam, one of the greatest scholars of the humanist world and the first editor of the New Testament in 1516. Delving further into the story, I discovered that Notary Caxaro, a priest who coincidentally also transcribed the oldest-known piece of Maltese literature – the Cantilena – was later punished by the Inquisitor for committing acts of heresy. Consequently, apart from being defrocked and made prisoner in his own home, he was also made to publicly wear what was known as the ‘garment of shame’ as a form of penance for his sins.”

4. The woman blacksmith

“Women never had a voice in history, and thus documents shedding light on their role in past societies are always an interesting find,” Joan details. “Women as entrepreneurs in centuries-old documents are even more exciting to come by. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine that, in a male dominated world, there were members of the female sex who managed to build successful business enterprises.

“One great moment of joy was when I read about Clara La Spatra, a 1543 female resident of Birgu. Notarial documents reveal that, at the time, Clara didn’t hesitate to take on a man’s job and practice a craft that required a good amount of physical strength and precision. In fact, through notarial documents, we learn that Clara was a blacksmith by profession, specialising in the art of making swords. What is even more interesting is that Clara took young boys under her wing as apprentices. In return for their service, she promised to teach them the art of sword making, feed them, clothe them, and give them shelter until they came of age and could hopefully set up their own enterprise.”

See more from the Notarial Archives at ‘Parallel Existences’, an exhibition by Alex Attard at Valletta Contemporary in Valletta between 5th October and 2nd November. On Saturday 6th October (Notte Bianca) Parallel Existences can be viewed at Valletta Contemporary between 8pm and 1am. The Notarial Archives will be open between 7pm and midnight for the exhibition Artists-as-Archivists with free guided visits of the Archives.The project is supported by Arts Council Malta – Malta Arts Fund, Project Support Grant and is sponsored by Gasan Mamo Insurance, the Farsons Foundation and the French Embassy. Entrance is free.