Like an
attractive sister that is routinely upstaged by her beautiful sister, the
chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist in Zurrieq is often a footnote to
the day of those visiting the Chapel dedicated to the Annunciation – better
known as the Hal Millieri chapel – its more historically laden neighbour that
stands just a few steps away.
In a way
this is understandable. The Hal Millieri
chapel has claim to greater historical and artistic values so it is only
natural that most of those who make the trip do so to with the stated aim of
giving it a visit.
Yet, often,
that focus stops people from appreciating the beauty that lies elsewhere. Indeed, the narrow path that leads to the Hal
Millieri chapel from Zurrieq first takes you past that dedicated to Saint John
the Evangelist and when this comes into view, surrounded as it is almost
exclusively by countryside, is a quasi-magical experience if you bother to take
it in.
According to
the information rich kappelliemaltin.com the present chapel was rebuilt in 1640, replacing a previous on that dated
back to 1481 but which had been deconsecrated by Monsignor Pietro Dusina in
1575.
Even so,
this too fell into disrepair until a local priest, Dun Gakbu Gauci arranged for
his nephew Frangisku Gauci to restore it in 1822. This became something of a family tradition
because in the twentieth century Dun Guzepp Gauci employed Frangisku Gauci’s
son to further extend the structure.
This work was completed by 1961 and the chapel was blessed by Bishop
Gaetano pace Forno.
In front of
the chapel there is a cross on a stone column, a reminder of yet another chapel
that had neighboured that of St John the Evangelist (indeed, the two chapels
shared the same parvis) and which had been dedicated to Saint Michael Archangel. That chapel had been deconsecrated in 1667 by
Bishop Buenos and, in time, had been torn down.
Indeed this
whole are seems to be a nod to the past.
One of the most striking features of the chapel of Saint John Evangelist
is the elevated parvis that lies in front of it. This, it transpires, was the parvis of the
Zurrieq parish church before it was replaced by a bigger one.
Confirmation
that our ancestors applied recycling even before the term was coined (and most
probably appreciated its importance far more than we do).
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