The Old Hospital
This building, which is known as the ‘Old Hospital’ of Mqabba, was built by a Foundation of the Order of St John, ‘Fondazione Cottoner’, during the plague of the 17th century. During that time, Mqabba lost 11% of its population of around 500 people. Thus, this street got its name for this landmark.
At the entrance of this ‘Old Hospital’, one can see the date 1st July 1725 carved on the wall. This date, which is believed to have been carved in the 18th century, is a reminder to when Fondazione Cottoner leased the land to a certain Mariuzzo Zahra for 62 scudi for 150 years.
This building includes a roundel carving on its façade. Roundel carvings are some of the oldest architectural designs in Malta and can be found in several old buildings around the localities of Mqabba, Żurrieq and Qrendi. The stones with roundel carvings were later re‑used and re-purposed in newer buildings later as part of the architectural decorations.
In 2003 this site was handed over to the Mqabba Local Council to be restored (in 2015) and be given a new lease of life by being used adequately for cultural purposes and even be transformed into a learning centre.
The Matla Wall
The Matla wall is an elevated passageway made of stone without any mortar joints, and dates to Medieval times. This passage used to be one meter in width and about one kilometre in length, starting from Mqabba’s centre, from the former parish church, that of St Basil. The parishioners and villagers used to walk on this wall surrounded by fields. At the end of this wall, the villagers would find themselves in a narrow alley in the countryside close to the Church of Jesus of Nazareth. From there they would walk along another narrow street and on another such wall which was smaller in width and length and was not maintained in the best condition, to get to the church of St John of Ħal Millieri. Today, only a small portion of the wall survives due to structural development in the nearby areas. It starts from Triq il-Konvoj ta’ Santa Marija and ends a few meters from the cemetery.
Between 1592 and 1598, before Imqabba had its own parish and still part of Hal Kirkop’s parish, this passage was used by the parish priest of Ħal Kirkop to administer the sacraments to the people of Mqabba. In the rainy Winter months, this passage served as the preferred dry route over the flood-prone fields.
Up until 50 to 70 years ago, this was a very popular walking route for the villagers of Mqabba.
Matla, or Matlgħa, is a Maltese word of Semitic influence, a noun of tela’, which means an ascent or a stair leading to a higher place. Thus, it is no mystery why this wall was given such a name.
The Matla wall was restored in 2018.
The Ta’ Minta Catacombs in Diamond Jubilee Square
The Ta’ Mintna catacombs, dating back to the Late Antique and, possibly, Byzantine periods (generally around the 4th century AD). These are the earliest Christian burial sites in Mqabba.
Ta’ Mintna catacombs are a complex of three hypogea which were originally three separate burial complexes, with different staircases. In modern times, these hypogea were joined together so they could be used as a well.
These catacombs were first documented by Annetto A. Caruana in his publication of 1888, who together with Captain Strickland in 1860, descended the well shaft through which the complex was accessed.
The three hypogea are around 139 square meters, and it is believed that they were dug and ornamented in about the same time. The fine architectural work of this site is evidence of the high skilled labour of the time.
Although on a much smaller scale, the Ta’ Mintna hypogea and catacombs of Mqabba, have similar characteristics as the St Paul Catacombs in Rabat. This complex has unique features in the catacomb structure. The central hypogeum has a well-preserved triclinium, a rock-cut-dining-setup used for commemorative meals, and rows of pyramidal lamp-holes. The other two hypogea include some of the finest funerary decorations on the Islands, including window tombs adorned with scallop shell decorations in the conch and carved pilasters.
While this site is closed for the public to ensure its preservation, interested individuals can send an email to [email protected] to book a tour.