|
Gilbert Calleja
For more than four years, the chapel of Santa Caterina in Valletta has remained closed, its restorations halted with no more funds left to channel into its upkeep. Built by the Italian knights in the late 16th century, today the natural elements keep contributing to its decay.
Despite Italian government funds that have been used in restorations lauded by government ministers years ago, the church remains unusable with just its façade having been restored.
Now, the Italian community in Malta is urging the Maltese government to take immediate action and resume restoration of their beloved chapel. In a petition that will be presented to the President and the Prime Minister in the coming days, around 200 members of the Italian community will be strongly appealing for the continuation of the restoration works as soon as possible.
The rector of the Santa Caterina d’Italia chapel, Fr Gino Gauci, will be presenting the petition which rebukes the Maltese government for giving nothing in return to Italy’s history of assistance to Malta through its financial protocols.
“This is the least the Maltese government can do, but this community requests it vociferously,” the petition says about Malta’s failed commitment to restore the church. “We know petitions are usually shelved and forgotten but we’re prepared to continue this battle for the restoration of this Italian-Maltese architectural monument.”
A Mattia Preti painting of the Martyrdom of Santa Caterina is one of the precious gems inside the chapel, which was partly designed by renowned baroque architect Romano Carapecchia.
The chapel’s problems started with the fall of a fragment from the dome moulding on 3 January 1999. This had forced Fr Gauci to ask his community to move to St James’s Church in Merchants Street for its religious services. Some restoration works on the exterior of the church were done between 2000 and 2001, but everything stopped there.
Francis Zammit Dimech, then minister for infrastructure, had ceremoniously inaugurated the façade, but had failed say that the inside of the chapel was still in a mess and totally unusable.
Works have remained at a standstill ever since and a protest held last December by the community has been ignored by the authorities. Architect Norbert Gatt of the restoration unit within the government’s construction and maintenance department declined to comment, but other government cultural institutions have been trying to give a helping hand.
The Valletta Rehabilitation Project (VRP), St James Cavalier and the Manoel Theatre have come to the aid of the church and its community through fund-raising concerts and some minor maintenance jobs. “The church needs urgent attention,” said VRP Chairman Ray Bondin. “It has to be sealed off to prevent rainwater from seeping in and causing further damage.”
Even the Italian Embassy is taking up the issue. “We hope the works get completed as soon as possible,” said Domenico Bellato on behalf of the embassy, adding that use of Italian protocol funds now have to be authorised by Rome.
gcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt
|
