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Senglia,Cospiqua and Vittoriosa and known as The three Cities.When Knight came to Malta they wanted to settle somewhere near the sea to keep their galleys safe and to be ready for attacks from the sea.As Mdina was too far from the sea they decided to settle at Birgu (Vittoriosa)at that time known as...
Dingli cliffs
Did you know that during WW2 Fort St Angelo was hit a total of 69 times? The area pictured here is a perfect visual example of this! The ground has been left uneven to purposefully showcase the bomb damage done in 1942.
Kont taf li matul WW2 il-Forti Sant Anġlu intlaqat 69 darba? Iż-żona li tidher hawn hija eżempju viżwali perfett ta’ dan! L-art tħalliet irregolari biex turi apposta l-ħsara li ħalliet il-bomba fl-1942.
The tiny hamlet of Santa Katerina is known as ‘Tad-Daħla’, meaning “entry”, probably because as the nickname itself suggests this area was once a main entry point to the town of Rabat. The village is made up of just 15 families, mostly farmers, including Maria Concetta (pictured). The few houses here are built around the small church of Saint Catherine, a church with a long history spanning over 500 years.
Follow this link to view another photo of the church, Maria Concetta and Frans: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=827580325390445&set=a.827589062056238
👇Inżel l-isfel biex taqra dan l-artiklu bil-Malti / Scroll down to read this article in Maltese 👇
THE CHURCH OF SANTA KATERINA TAD-DAĦLA
A chapel dedicated to St. Catherine was first built here in the year 1500. This chapel was one of the 30 countryside chapels which fell under the auspice of the old capital of , Mdina, and which Monsignor Pietro Dusina visited as part of his apostolic visit in 1575.
In 1628, a second chapel was built by nobleman Indrì Vassallo and his wife on their land. Indrì Vassallo started a patronage on the church in 1639.
The second chapel was unfortunately heavily damaged in the 1743 earthquake and was totally rebuilt for a third time with its current design.
Over the years, the church was endowed with a new bell and a titular statue of St. Catherine, much awaited by the people of the locality at the time.
THE FEAST
Although on a smaller scale, for over a century, the feast of St. Catherine has been held at the church of the ‘Tad-Daħla’ hamlet, which lies halfway between Rabat and Dingli, in late September, when most of the season’s titular feasts have been celebrated. The church gets decorated for its feast and a mass is celebrated on the eve of the feast day, as well as every Saturday evening at the church together with a pastoral service by the parish during the feast weekend.
Externally, the feast spans over three days, with a BBQ, decorations, fireworks and a musical program executed by a band from Rabat, as well as a lottery in aid of the feast funds.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF ST. CATHERINE ‘TAD-DAĦLA’
When Monsignor Pietro Dusina visited the original chapel as part of his apostolic visit in 1575 he did not find it in a very good condition. The area was prone to Corsair attacks and had weak defenses. The chapel did not have a door and a floor but it at least had a rector, Santoro Vella, who’d celebrate mass yearly on the feast day with vespers. Franġisk Summatissa, a Greek man who worked as a secretary on the galleys of the Order, bought the land on which this chapel was from Dun Santoro de Nasis, and saw to collecting the necessary funds gor the feast. The parish priest of Dingli would carry out the functions.
But following his visit, Dusina ordered the closure of the chapel and gave permission for the stones from the old chapel to be used for building the new one. The titular painting was taken to St. Paul’s church in Rabat.
THE SECOND CHAPEL
The chapel was rebuilt fifty years later by Indrì Vassallo and his wife Sapienza Micallef on a garden on their land that was called Tad-Daħla, with the family taking patronage of the chapel. Vassallo tied the chapel’s rector with celebrating five masses a year, on the feast days of St. Catherine, St. Bias, St. Andrew, St. Paul and St. Lucy respectively. Everything was tied by a contract dated November 1630 in front of notary Giovannello Carabot. This donation was again confirmed in an act dated December 1st 1650 by notary Giovanni Francesco Zammit. As was commonplace when a benefactor would build something out of his own money, he would benefit his own people. So Indrì Vassallo appointed his nephew as rector, the cleric Matthew Vassallo. But given he was still 17 years old and had to complete his priesthood, Dun Tumas Tabone took over the running of the chapel in until eventually Matthew Vassallo took over the reigns.
The church was very well taken care of during Indrì’s time, was painted and had four access doors, stone benches and one stone altar, a bell and sacristy and all that was needed for liturgical services to be held in it, mostly for the farmers of the area.
The titular painting represented St. Catherine together with Saints Paul, Andrew, Bias and Lucy.
An interesting note from one of the pastoral visitations reveals that in 1630 this church had a small cemetery attached to it.
Indrì Vassallo died on the 29th of May 1655, while his wife died two years later.
Over time, the chapel fell in a state of neglect. When Dun Albin Portoghes, who had been sent by Malta’s Bishop Poalo Alpheran de Bussan, who did not visit himself given that this was a small chapel, visited it in April of 1744, he found it in a deplorable state, a direct consequence of the damage the chapel had suffered from the earthquake that shook the islands a year earlier, on February 20th 1743.
THE PRESENT DAY CHURCH
Following the 1743 earthquake, the church was eventually rebuilt larger but without the need for it to be completely demolished. The patronage Indrì Vassallo and his family had on the church, which was started in 1639, continued to be passed from one family to another over time, including the Testaferrata family in 1866, but today the church belongs to and forms part of the Rabat parish.
INTERIOR
This church has one altar. The titular painting shows Saint Catherine rising to Heaven. This painting was damaged by vandals some time ago but the church’s procurator of that time, Dun Mikiel Attard, saw to restoring it.
The church underwent extensive restoration which was carried out by the Restoration Directorate a few years ago.
THE BISHOP D'ALAGONA
By Kappa Vision follower Matthew Micallef.
This same chapel was the one personally financed by none other the Bishop D'Alagona, which was the same Bishop that provided the land to the Dominican Order in Rabat.
The crest of the family D'Alagona which is found on the wall at the entrance of the Dominican Priory used to be housed inside the chapel of St. Catherine.
—————
BIL-MALTI
L-irħajjel ta’ Santa Katerina hu msejjaħ “Tad-Daħla", probabilment għaliex fl-imgħoddi f’dawn l-inħawi kien hawn it-triq priċipali li kienet tgħati għar-Rabat. Illum il-ġurnata jogħodu biss ħmistax-il familija hawnhekk, ħafna minnhom bdiwa. Waħda minnhom hi Marija Konċetta (fir-ritratt). Il-ftit djar u rzietet li insibu f’Santa Katerina huma mibnijja madwar il-knisja ta’ Santa Katerina li għandha storja twila u qadima ħafna ta’ il-fuq minn ħames mitt sena.
IL-KNISJA
Il-knisja ta’ Santa Katerina “Tad-Daħla" inbniet għall-ewwel darba fl-1500. Wara xi żmien ġiet imsewwija minn Indrì Vassallo li beda l-benefiċarju fl-1639.
Din il-knisja żgħira għandha artal wieħed. Il-kwadru ewlieni li juri lil din il-qaddisa tielgħa s-sema kiem ilu ġarrab xi ħsarat minn xi vandali, imma l-Prokuratur tagħha Dun Mikiel Attard ħa ħsieb u rrestawraħ. Insibu ukoll statwa ħelwa tal-qaddisa li ħadimha l-iskultur Ġilormu Dingli mir-Rabat.
Photo Copyright © Kappa Vision / Jean-Paul Borg.
References:
- Tony Terrible, "l-Knisja ta’ Santa Katarina tad-Daħla fir-Rabat," L-Armar: Festa Santa Katarina V.M., Żejtun, 1999, Pages 33, 35, 37, Għaqda ta’ l-Armar 25 ta’ Novembru Żejtun;
- Alexander Bonnici OFM Conv, "Santa Katerina Tad-Daħla - Knisja ċkejkna bi storja mifruxa tul- 400 sena," Knejjes Filjali tar-Rabat - Pt 3, Il-festi tagħna, 1998, Rabat, Kumitat Festi Esterni Corpus Domini u San Pawl;
- Alfie Guillaumier, “Bliet u rħula Maltin”, Volume 2, 2002, Klabb Kotba Maltin, Malta;
- Matthew Micallef.
For all my latest photos, please visit and like Kappa Vision on Facebook, kappavision_gram on Instagram KappaVision on Twitter and kappavision on Vero. When sharing, DO NOT repost, but FEEL FREE to share directly from Kappa Vision.
Below is a plan of a proposal by the Admiralty to build a recreation room in Fort St. Angelo, dating from 1917. Eventually it was built in the 1920s and included a cinema, billiards and a bar at its chosen site on St. Angelo battery. Today it is known as the Egmont and it is utilised as a rental venue for private functions.
Hawn taħt insibu pjan ta' proposta mill-Ammiraljat biex tinbena sala ta' rikreazzjoni ġewwa Sant'Anġlu, bid-data ta' 1917. Is-sala eventwalment inbniet fl-20ijiet fuq il-batterija ta' Sant'Anġlu u kienet tinkludi ċinema, mejda tal-biljards u bar. Illum din is-sala hija magħrufa bħala l-Egmont u tinkera għal avvenimenti privati.
Image credits: National Archives of Malta.
Ħajr għall-istampa: L-Arkivji Nazzjonali ta' Malta.
It’s the time of the year when pomegranates are in season. This beautiful, recently restored monumental niche is known as Tar-Rummiena, which is Maltese for ‘of the pomegranate’, so we thought it would be fitting to put together a post with photos and information about the shrine. But we noticed something out of place with this photo. Can you spot it? And if you can, can we know if it (finally) got a permit?
Pomegranates are seasonal fruits, contrary to concrete which we unfortunately have to live with year-round…
The photo was taken at the Rabat-Nadur-Xewkija-Xagħra crossroads on the outskirts of the town of Xewkija, .
BIL-MALTI
Żmien ir-rummien. Din in-niċċa monumentali hija magħrufa bħala Tar-Rummiena, u għalhekk ħsibna li kien ikun xieraq li nitfaw ir-ritratti u l-informazzjoni tagħna dwarha.
Imma rajna xi ħaġa mhux f’posta.
Int qed tarha wkoll? U jekk iva, taf tgħidilna jekk dak li qed tara għandu l-permessi kolla?
Ir-rummien frotta staġjonali, kontrarjament għal konkos li nsibuħ ma wiċċna s-sena kolla…
Ritratt mehħud minn salib it-toroq tat-triq li tagħti għax Xewkija-Nadur-Rabat-Xagħra fix-Xewkija, Għawdex.
Copyright © Kappa Vision / Jean-Paul Borg.
For all my latest photos, please visit and like Kappa Vision on Facebook, kappavision_gram on Instagram KappaVision on Twitter and kappavision on Vero. When sharing, DO NOT repost, but FEEL FREE to share directly from Kappa Vision.
UglyMalta Qed jinfirex mal-widien bini ikrah kullimkien Anarchy & Mayhem in Malta
One of the must see places in Malta is definitely Valletta, our Capital City! One of the WORLD heritage sites , Valletta, known as Il-Belt amongst locals, has buildings dating to 16 th century ! Built by Knight’s of St.John , just after the great Siege in 1565, it’s an open air museum!
Join us for amazing tour round the city every Thursday morning to explore the best cites! Guided tour is available in English, German, French and Italian! Message us for booking
Starting off the week with a throwback!😁
This photograph from the 1850s shows Grunenbergh's no. 3 battery – originally known as the no.2 battery during the knights' period, with 8 inch smooth bore guns on wooden carriages along with a pyramid pile of shots. This battery held a total of 10 SB guns.
Source: National Museum of Archaeology, Malta.
Following the success of last year's Gin and Jam sessions, we will be returning with live music sessions with some of Malta's hottest bands. We're opening the season with a special Christian Drouin edition. Launching on the 14th June, the schedule features some of our resident favourites including R...
Last night Fireworks festival seen from the boat Geraldine
Good morning ❤️❤️
Thanks to our captain Matthew for the picture!
www.maltasightseeing.com
Celebrating 58 years of Independence. Happy Independence Day, Malta 🇲🇹
On Guard! Prepare to be mesmerised by the swordsmanship of these historical fencers (MHFA) as they demonstrate how Fort St Angelo was defended from the onslaught of besieging Turks on Victory Day.
During the event, 𝗦𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 - a recently published Heritage Malta monograph focusing on the practical and symbolic uses of swords during the Order of St John’s tenure in Malta, will be available at a 15% discount and the author will be signing each copy purchased.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗼𝗻 🔗 https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/celebrate-victory-day/
Malta Historical Fencing Association
A Phoenician stone sarcophagus excavated last year at Għajn Klieb, on the … Continued
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Last night Fireworks festival seen from the boat Geraldine
Gzira promenade holiday letting
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