Balzan Attractions

The most interesting part of Balzan is in Three Churches Street (It-Tliet Knejjes) at the eastern corner of the square: 120m from the square, in the oldest part of the village and grouped together around an old meeting or cemetery cross there are three old churches. Little St Roque, sophisticated in its simplicity, was built in 1593 during a terrible plague (Roque is the patron saint of plague). For what must have been a rapid building program, there is some fine, if naive, detail. Note the circular window above the door, which uses a set of six ordinary intertwined semi-circles to form a striking pattern. Above its setting, a crude molded square, is a charming tiny triangle pediment enclosing a delicate flower. The church is open every Sunday, but mass is said only once a year.

The other two churches are the earlier Annunciation and St Leonard's, which is now a house.