Gozo's only medieval chapel is in imminent danger of collapse unless restoration is undertaken immediately, a heritage NGO has warned. Cracks are snaking through seven of the roof slabs of the St Cecilia chapel in Għajnsielem. Two slabs have already come away. The rain is punching holes into the building, inflicting further damage to a chapel which was vandalised and torched last August.

"We're expecting the roof to collapse soon. All we're asking for is the protection of a national monument. This is such a shame," Wirt Għawdex executive secretary Giovanni Zammit told The Sunday Times.

The NGO has long expressed concern over the inertia surrounding this building despite a Cultural Heritage Act which places the responsibility for the protection of such monuments on specific entities. Though partly dilapidated, the chapel is still in its original form, and is the best surviving example of the unaisled chapels that once dotted the countryside. It is believed to have been built around 1540 but by 1636 it was closed down because it needed extensive repairs. It was temporarily restored before it was once again closed down and has been neglected since.

Ten years ago the land on which the chapel stands - it forms a tiny part of a field - was expropriated by the Government and promised to Wirt Għawdex, which started establishing private sponsorships to finance its restoration. But according to the NGO, the move stalled after a crossfire involving the authorities and an individual who owns the land. Fencing erected around the building was removed by unknown individuals in 1998 and has since not yet been replaced. The chapel was only temporarily 'supervised' by a watchman. And an ancient waterspout on the roof of the chapel for the overflow of rainfall has also been stolen.

The organisation warned that works being carried out near the chapel may be causing further structural damage to the already fragile building. "Even though the chapel was promised to us 10 years ago, it doesn't matter who runs it at this stage - we just need to save the building," Mr Zammit said. The costs to fix the chapel - located just off the main road connecting Victoria to Mġarr - were originally estimated at Lm10,000 though the figure has risen following the recent acts of vandalism.

In a letter to the Gozo Ministry, Mr Zammit said that employees from the Department of Projects and Development said they were threatened when they tried to erect the fence. He insisted that action must be taken to enforce the expropriation. "The safety of this most important monument should not be left at the mercy of a hard headed individual who believes he can flout the law at will. We appeal to you to take immediate action since we understand that it is solely up to the Gozo Ministry to enforce this expropriation," Mr Zammit wrote.

When contacted, a spokesman for the ministry said that size of the land to be expropriated was recently reduced. The process involving evaluation of the new area was currently underway and Wirt Għawdex was constantly kept informed of such procedures.
 

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