Restoration of the Former St. Joseph Chapel Façade and Belfry and adjoining St. Jeanne Antide Foundation Bazaar Façade and Loggia, Ħal Tarxien
In 1874 after completing his service as parish priest of Ħal Balzan, Dun Franġisk Caruana from Ħal Tarxien built a new house for himself in Triq Ħal Tarxien, his native village, and also constructed a small chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph.1 On the façade of this church, there is a niche with a statue of St Joseph.2
In the 1880s, he donated a plot of land next to his house for the establishment of an institution for the White Fathers, who had arrived in Malta in July 1881 and did not yet have a permanent residence. 3 After his death on the 5 November 1895, Caruana left his house in the White Fathers’ hands. 4
In 1901, the institute and the chapel were purchased by Sister Marija Saverja Schembri (SOC), who transferred them to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antida Thouret and who still remain there to this day.5 The sisters changed the dedication of the church from Saint Joseph to the Immaculate Conception and enlarged it to its present form.6 They also transformed Dun Caruana’s former residence into a bazaar.
Restoration Works
The restoration works combined structural repairs with the aesthetic conservation of the chapel and adjoining bazaar. Cement plaster was removed from the ground floor façades and replaced with compatible stone-coloured repair mortar. Deteriorated stone blocks were replaced and damaged roofing slabs repaired. Defective pointing was replaced, and the black crust beneath cornices and within the belfry was cleaned. Works also included waterproofing works on the roof; plastic repair to ashlar stone and sculptural elements; the installation of missing finials; the consolidation of the belfry’s top finials; and the full restoration of the belfry, including the temporary removal and reinstatement of the bells, which were also the object of a conservation intervention. The statue of St Joseph was fully restored, and the metal halo and flower cane re-instated with new specially made parts.
Further interventions included the restoration of all timber apertures, the replacement of two aluminium apertures with painted timber units. The façade was cleaned, wrought iron features restored, and entrance stairs clad in Carrara marble. Electrical wiring was reorganised, while the bazaar’s portico was re-plastered and painted. The portico was also retiled and the roof balustrades restored.
References
- Bonniċi. Id-Dfin f’Malta. 2019.
- Camilleri, J. C. (2014). Il-kult ta’ San Ġużepp f’Ħal Tarxien. Festa Madonna tad-Duttrina, 2014.
- DeBono, J. G. (2018). L-edukazzjoni f’Ħal Tarxien … ftit storja. Tarxien: [Festa Marija Annunzjata] 2018, 37, 39-41.
- Bonnici,2019.
- Camilleri, 2014; Bonnici, 2019.
- Bonnici, 2019.