Today, the remains of the Chapel of Bones can still be found beside the Sacra Infermeria, serving as a quiet memorial to Valletta’s rich and sometimes chilling past.

As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to revisit one of Malta’s most haunting yet fascinating historical sites; the Chapel of Bones. Once standing proudly in Valletta, this eerie yet sacred chapel, officially known as the Nibbia Chapel, was adorned with human skulls, bones, and even full skeletons.

Far from being a site of horror, it was a solemn reminder of mortality and faith, a striking expression of the Latin phrase memento mori, meaning ‘remember that you must die.’

Built in 1612 by the Knight Fra Giorgio Nibbia, the chapel served as a place of prayer for the cemetery of the Sacra Infermeria, the hospital run by the Order of St. John. Inside, the macabre decorations were arranged artistically, transforming the bones of the dead into elaborate patterns and religious motifs. Visitors described it as both unsettling and awe-inspiring, a space where death and devotion intertwined in the most literal way.

Tragically, the Nibbia Chapel did not survive the ravages of war. During World War II, it was destroyed by aerial bombardment in 1941, leaving behind only fragments of its former glory. Today, the remains of the Chapel of Bones can still be found beside the Sacra Infermeria, serving as a quiet memorial to Valletta’s rich and sometimes chilling past.

Did you know about this story behind the Chapel of Bones?