Nibbia Chapel
| Nibbia Chapel | |
|---|---|
 The overgrown ruins of Nibbia Chapel near Evans Building. | |
| Basic information | |
| Location | Valletta, Malta |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°54′00″N 14°31′05″E / 35.90002°N 14.51817°ECoordinates: 35°54′00″N 14°31′05″E / 35.90002°N 14.51817°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Architect(s) | Romano Carapecchia |
| Completed | 1612 |
Nibbia Chapel was a chapel located close to the Sacra Infermeria and Fort Saint Elmo in Valletta, Malta. It was commissioned by the knight Giorgio Nibbia in 1612 and was dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy. It was destroyed in World War II.
The chapel was actually named as Annunciation Chapel while only the crypt was named as Nibbia Crypt. However after its destruction in WWII it became commonly referred to as the Ta' Nibbia Chapel (The Chapel of Bones).[1]
Architecture
The chapel was domed and octagonally shaped. The façade had a large portal with the main door between two sets of Doric columns on either side. The door's architrave had a large marble plaque and a broken round pediment. The upper section was separated by a thin cornice that consisted of a central arched window between small clusters of pilasters and running scrolls. Another triangular pediment was above all this.
Crypt
The chapel had a crypt in which patients who died at the Sacra Infermeria were buried. The walls of the crypt were covered with human skulls, bones and skeletons. This gave the chapel the popular name Chapel of Bones. It is not known exactly where this was located, and it could have been either under the chapel itself or in the vicinity.
Ruins
The chapel was partially destroyed by aerial bombardment in World War II and it was demolished in 1953. Some ruins remain in a state of disrepair. It is presumed that the crypt still exists somewhere in the present grounds of the Evans Building, which was built close to where the chapel once stood.[2]
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) scheduled the ruins of Nibbia Chapel and the Chapel of Bones as a Class B national monument; per Government Notice no. 276/08 in the Government Gazette of 28 March 2008.[3]
Further reading
- Cassar Pullicino, Joseph. "The Order of St. John in Maltese Folk-Memory". Melitensia. p. 154.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chapel of Bones (Valletta). |
- ↑ http://www.malta-canada.com/churches-chapels/Valletta.htm
- ↑ State of Nibbia chapel ruins. Edward Said, Times of Malta, 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ One World - Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of Valletta (109) - Ruins of Nibbia Chapel and Chapel of Bones. Times of Malta, 21 April 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
