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.
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.[1]
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.[2]
References
- ↑ 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.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chapel of Bones (Valletta). |