Distance: 12.8km
Duration: 3 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
This route follows a Franciscan path from the late medieval convent of St Francis belonging to the Franciscan Conventuals in Rabat (next to the Santo Spirito archives) all the way to to the Conventual Church of St Francis in Valletta. Along the route we pass several Marian churches – and St Francis and the Franciscans were keen promoters of Marian devotion. It also represents a move from the more rural (and more or less intact) environs of Rabat to the more congested and often polluted Inner Harbour areas. I hope that this provides a good opportunity to reflect on our ‘modernity’ – dependent on technology and detached from the natural environment…may it lead you to connect once more with the world in the way St Francis did by espousing simplicity and poverty.
1. Church of St Francis of Assisi, Rabat
Our pilgrimage starts from very ancient ground. The Franciscans set up a convent here in the late 14th century next to the older Santo Spirito hospital (the building to the left). Over the years the church and convent have gone through various transformations, and the current building owes much of its appearance to 17th century Baroque sensibilities. The church is also home to ‘Our Lady of Good Health’ which enjoys a strong following. Proceed towards Saqqajja hill, and then down the long road underneath Mdina. Take time to notice two abandoned cemeteries on the left. Once you reach the roundabout cross towards another (better-kept) Commonwealth cemetery and into Ta’ Qali. Warning: There are no pedestrian crossings here or anywhere nearby…cross the road with extra care! Enjoy the open spaces of Ta’ Qali (albeit not exactly ‘natural’ as it’s a man-made park). Once you reach Ħ’Attard the greenery disappears pretty quickly.
2. Parish Church of the Assumption, Ħ’Attard
We enter the village of Attard from Misraħ Kola – mostly terraced houses built in the 80s which are now also falling prey to the apartment blocks mania. Once we reach the Government Primary School we enter into the old village core. The elegant street leading up to the church is full of beautiful houses. The church itself, built in 1613, is one of the masterpieces of Maltese architect Tumas Dingli. We take a left and after a few turns we find ourselves following the old railway line.
3. Parish Church of the Assumption, Birkirkara
Just before the end of Old Railway Street we take a right turn at Triq Vittorio Cassar into a square. The ugliness of most of the apartment buildings is mitigated by the majestic Parish Church of the Assumption – another masterpiece by Tumas Dingli built in 1617. This building served as the main church of Birkirkara until the residents decided to build a new church on the other side of the valley. The old church was left to rot, and it was only in the 1950s that a slow (and as yet incomplete) restoration process started. You can now either go left towards Birkirkara valley, or else take a little detour (and perhaps some rest) at the Old Railway Garden adjacent to the church.
4. Church of St Francis of Assisi, Ta’ Paris, Birkirkara
We now pass through the outskirts of the old village core, and up a winding road that leads us to the next Franciscan Church, that of St Francis, also run by the Conventual Friars. This church, built in a Neo-Romanesque style, owes its origins to a little chapel which the Friars used in 1941 for war refugees fleeing from the harbour area. In 1953 they decided to build a church and convent here to serve the ever growing population of the area. Sadly, all around this area you can notice a huge increase in dull apartment blocks – soulless and characterless.
We leave Ta’ Paris to rejoin the Old Railway track once again, as it passes through Santa Venera. There is little to admire along this stretch of road – even the few interesting terraced houses are giving way to more apartment blocks. There are of course alternative routes which are ‘slightly’ more interesting, but perhaps that is exactly the problem nowadays – we try to avoid facing reality a little bit too much.
5. Church of St Francis of Assisi, Il-Ħamrun
We reach the end of Old Railway Track and have to cross a busy junction into Ħamrun – exercise caution when crossing! A few blocks down we reach the oddly neglected church of St Francis, built by the Franciscan Minors in 1952. It is a curious and in many ways fascinating building – a mixture of latent Art Deco traits and (I use the word carefully here) – Post-Modernist elements (look at that Greek pediment sitting uncomfortably on top of the facade!).
6. Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception, Il-Ħamrun
The road then leads us to another post-war church – the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception which was built in the sixties. This is another odd piece of architecture – classicising elements squeezed in between two modern(ist) buildings. It also has a characteristic that sends my OCD on tilt – the actual church lies at about a 30′ angle from the facade, resulting in a skewed floor plan and a triangular vestibule.
The route now turns left and we descend towards Pietà – a relatively quiet stretch until we reach St Joseph school and turn right to the busy road leading towards Valletta. Although this should technically be a drab stretch of road, but once you reach the tree lined path on the left side of the road, it is actually quite pleasant.
7. Church of the Immaculate Conception, (aka Ta’ Sarria), Il-Furjana
We now reach the last stretch as we enter the suburb of Floriana. We pass the majestic Portes des Bombes, then left turn towards the Mall. There are several striking buildings around us, but the Church of Sarria (present structure built in 1675) is a true little gem. It also houses a fantastic set of paintings by Mattia Preti.
8. Parish Church of Saint Publius, Floriana
A few metres down the road we reach the Granaries, dominated by the Parish Church of St Publius. The original church was built in 1733 but was subsequently enlarged in the 19th century. It has many treasures including a spectacular vault by Emvin Cremona.
You can proceed to Valletta either by walking along The Mall or else through it – and appreciate its many beautiful monuments. We will also pass by Antonio Sciortino’s masterpiece of Christ the King (in front of Phoenicia Hotel) and Vincenzo Apap’s spectacular Triton Fountain, before we reach City Gate.
9. Church of St Francis of Assisi, Valletta
We now reach our final destination – the Church of St Francis of Assisi Valletta. This church was built in 1681 and then enlarged in the 1920s. Despite the architectural incongruences (the dome sits uncomfortably on a series of arches that are not aligned to the original vault) – it is still a beautiful space housing works by Preti and Cali (the stupendous ‘Glory of St Francis’ his largest canvas) among others.
Take nothing with you / Tieħdu xejn magħkom 