One of the 10 original parishes created in 1436, Siggiewi lies midway between Rabat and Zurrieq in the fertile Girgenti Valley, which begins near the cliffs of Dingli. It is from the fruits of this valley that this sleepy village has grown.
A couple of kilometers south of Siggiewi is this beautiful chapel, set in the middle of a field. This tiny octagonal chapel was built in 1750 and looks like no more than a dome and a bellcote. Fable has it that the church grew weak after being struck by lightning and the dainty portico was added to lend support in 1815. The whole is a study in the main elements of pantheon design, with small statues against the roof line.
Mass is held here once a year, on the first Sunday in September.
Fra Salvatore Cutaja built this chapel in 1730. He is buried underneath the center marble. The chapel is small and unremarkable, except for a truly gruesome picture of St John's beheading.
Next door is the chapel of Our Lady, which opens only during the festa or feast day.
St Nicholas Church stands aloof on a traffic circle in the center of the L-shaped sloping square.
The church is one of Malta's most Baroque churches. Lorenzu Gafa finished the structure in 1693, adding elaborate Italian and Sicilian idioms, but its classical Baroque features retain a feeling of light and space.
The altarpiece is Preti's last and unfinished work, a painting of St Nicholas.
Read More
Read Less
Read More
