The Santa Maria Chapel at Tal-Virtù, Rabat : conservation of a Rotunda in distress

Abstract

The Chapel dedicated to Our Lady at Tal-Virtù, was built on a site of great archaeological importance. Like most of our churches it forms part of our patrimony and by conveying messages from the past, it symbolises our cultural identity and continuity. After having lived through a number of misfortunes, it eventually had to be abandoned; but the more time passed by, the more its dilapidated state woefully cried for some urgent action. The Rotunda is not simply one: of the small chapels on the island which needs attention. Anyone who has been going for walks in the countryside at Tal-Virtù could not have possibly missed the abnormal size of one of its fissures, which is probably larger than all the fractures accumulated together, normally seen passing through one of our larger churches. In other words, merely investigating the Monument's structural condition, already poses an interesting and stimulating challenge. The overall goals of this study were to:- (i) emphasise the point, that the crypt at Tal- Virtù and the forgotten Chapel erected above it, represent two distinct but very important chapters of our built heritage; (ii) analyse the building of the Rotunda from a structural point of view; (iii) identify the main degradation mechanisms; (iv) decide whether it was still possible to save the monument from total destruction.