“Is-Salvatur” Chapel

On the 9th February 1575, Mons. Pietro Duzzina visited all the chapels in the village of Qrendi which at the time consisted of only forty-four houses. The first chapel visited, was that dedicated to our Savior or as it is better know as “Is-Salvatur”. which consisted solely of an altar and void of anything else. As the chapel had no income, it consequently had no rector to tender to its needs. However a certain Vincentius Aquilina who owned land known as ‘Il-Calcarti”, occasionally paid for the celebration of Holy Mass and the singing of vespers on the feast day.

The present day chapel was built in 1658 at the expense of Beneditto Camilleri. This chapel was erected on the same site as the previous chapel bearing its same name. The benefactor of this chapel was Dun Galanton Camilleri who was later nominated Archpriest of the “Matrici” of Gozo. This priest left a considerable amount of money to go towards the celebration of Holy Mass and the singing of Vespers on the feast day. The beneficiaries of this chapel dues were to be the heirs ordained into the priesthood or the most elder village pastor, as the case may be.

The ‘Is-Salvatur” chapel has one altar. The main and only painting was oval shaped showing the upper body of Christ the Savior, with his hands protecting the world. Under the picture Bishop Labini (Bishop from 1780 to 1807) granted a forty day indulgence to those reciting a “Holy Father” in front of this image. Unfortunately, today this painting is untraceable.

On entering the chapel’s front door, a stone gallery built on stone pillars and bears the date 1876.Due to the small size of the chapel the only access to this gallery is by means of a wooden ladder.

A curiosity of this chapel are the protruding corbels, stagger and on different courses at the rear of the chapel. These corbels start at approximately three meters above the street level and lead up to fifty centimeters from the rooftop The purpose for this construction could have could have well been to allow easier access to the rooftop, which is of considerable height. Allowing these sets of corbels to protrude at the minimal height of three meters would have served the purpose of eliminating unauthorized passage to the chapel’s rooftop.

During the early sixties, this chapel was utilized as a parish hall where prayer meetings, religious education and fund raising activities were held. Its steps in former times, were the village’s rendezvous as the chapels surrounding formed part of the public transport terminus, a place where the elders would sit in the shade during hot summer months. In 1999, the chapel was beautifully restored to its original glory, offering the ideal place for religious meditation where the Blessed Sacrament could be daily exposed for adoration.