Chapel of St Roque (Żebbuġ)

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Chapel Of Saint Roque

The Chapel of St Roque in Żebbuġ is a listed chapel in Malta . It is dedicated to Rochus of Montpellier , who is invoked as the patron saint against the plague . The chapel is in the main street ( Triq il-Kbira ) of Żebbuġ and is registered under the number 2208 in the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands .

history

In 1592 the plague broke out on the Maltese islands , presumably it was brought in by a galley of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. More than 3000 people died in this epidemic. A man named Tumas Vassallo and his wife Katarin vowed to build a chapel in honor of St. Rochus, if the plague spared their place. Further St. Rochus churches and chapels under this patronage can be found in Valletta, Balzan and Birkirkara. In Żebbuġ it is the only one of fourteen chapels that has been preserved in its original form.

In 1980 the administration of the building was transferred from the Archdiocese of Malta to Dín l-Art Ħelwa . The foundation restored the chapel and opened it in 2007. It now houses an exhibition about the sons and daughters of Ortesebbuġ.

Building

The small chapel shows typical forms of the 16th century. It measures eight meters in length and seven meters in width. The facade is kept very simple and without any architectural ornamentation. There is a small round window above the entrance, through which light falls into the interior of the chapel, the side walls are windowless. The entrance gable is crowned by a bell carrier with a single bell in it. The entrance portal has apparently been changed because the door frame, which is now rectangular, was once vaulted with a pointed arch at one time, as traces in the masonry show.

The altarpiece depicting St. Roch is by an unknown painter in the early 17th century and was restored in 1989.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e Chapel of St Roque, Zebbug. In: Heritage Sites managed by Din l-Art Helwa. Dín l-Art Ħelwa , accessed January 2, 2020 .
  2. a b Kappella ta 'Santu Rokku / Chapel of Saint Roque. (PDF; 534 kB) In: National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Sovrintendenza tal-Patrimonju Kulturale, March 28, 2014, accessed on January 2, 2020 .

Coordinates: 35 ° 52 ′ 22.4 "  N , 14 ° 26 ′ 44.9"  E