Route 4: The Seven St Marys (2)

Distance: 12km
Duration: 3 hours*
Difficulty: Intermediate

*If you are walking this during the Santa Marija feast allow 5 hours so that you can enjoy the sights and sounds of Ħal Għaxaq, Il-Gudja, L-Imqabba, and Il-Qrendi which will be all lit up for the festa. The ideal dates would be on the eve (14th August) when you can admire the fireworks that light up all of Malta, or on the feast day (15th August) where you can admire the solemn processions.

1 – Church of the Assumption, Ħal Tarxien (Tar-Rokna)

We start our pilgrimage at one of the many small churches dedicated to the Assumption that are dotted around the island. This little gem (which was featured in Route 1 posted on this blog) is an ideal starting point if you want to slowly build up your pilgrimage experience. Although it is open during Santa Marija, and even has some very basic decorations on the facade and parvis, it is a very quiet start to the route.

From here you can proceed towards Żejtun by crossing over towards Bulebel Industrial Estate (Warning: Use the pedestrian lights to cross the busy Triq San Anard). The path then goes through fields to reach the outskirts of Żejtun, and one straight road towards the parish church of St Catherine in Żejtun, a splendid Baroque temple started in 1692 to plans by Lorenzo Gafá, dubbed (with good reason) the Cathedral of the South.

Just before you get to the church, take time to admire the many beautiful Baroque palazzos and the beautiful Church of the Holy Spirit that line up Triq Santa Katarina. This street was right on the old St Gregory’s pilgrimage route, and hence it was prime real estate. Once arrived in front of the parish church, take a right, and walk all the way to the next church on our pilgrimage. Take time to admire the many magnificent buildings including the imposing Casa Daniel and the Church of St Angelo the Martyr.

2 – Church of the Assumption, Iż-Żejtun

Tucked away in the corner of Misraħ Santa Marija lies another small church dedicated to the Assumption, known locally as Tal-Ħlass (ħlas in this case refers to birthing, and it seems like babies were buried in its ground). Sadly, this church is rarely open.

The route now goes south towards Bir id-Deheb, passing by the new Church of Our Lady of Sorrows known as Tal-Ħniena. This church is an odd creation, with a disproportionate Neo-Baroque facade, a squarish plan at the back, and the old church placed sideways in between!

Warning: use pedestrian lights to cross into Ħal Għaxaq. It is a straight road towards our fist major church.

3 – Parish Church of the Assumtion, Ħal Għaxaq

This is one of the most under-rated and unjustly neglected gems. Built in 1723 to plans by Sebastiano Saliba, it is magnificent temple. The interior is no less impressive boasting a wealth of paintings by the likes of Francesco Zahra, GianNikol Buhagiar, Gianni Vella, and Emvin Cremona, as well as the beautiful statue of the Assumption by Mariano Gerada.

Take the side street to the left of the church, and go through the old village core until you reach the Għaxaq by-pass. From here you will go through some quiet modern urban suburbs until you reach the outskirts of Gudja. Eventually you will reach Triq San Ċiru which takes you right in front of the next church.

Festa: If you are there during festa time take your time to appreciated the effect of walking up Triq Santa Marija with all its festa decorations, reaching a colourful climax in the main square. You might also want to take a short detour by going straight on towards Pjazza Santu Rokku, and then turning left to reach the Għaxaq by-pass and continue along the main route.

4. Parish Church of the Assumption, Il-Gudja

Looks can be deceiving. The post-war facade might give the impression that this is a huge imposing church, but behind it lies a 17th century gem designed by Tumas Dingli. It also has the distinction of being the only Maltese church with three bell towers, after a third tower was erected in 1858 to a design by William Baker. The church is also rich in artistic treasures including works by Pietro Gagliardi and Domenico Bruschi.

The route then proceeds along the right-hand side of the church, and into the newer areas of Gudja. A gentle down hill then takes you right to the outskirts to the old parish church of Bir Miftuħ.

Festa: Gudja has a very particular set-up, with the village celebrating two secondary feasts in October. For years the titular feast was sidelined, although in recent years there has been a greater effort at celebrating it with the appropriate pomp. Although not the most extravagant of festas, there is still much to enjoy.

5 – Church of the Assumption, Bir Miftuħ

It is hard to imagine that this secluded church was once the centre of one of the largest parishes in medieval Malta. The present church is a much reduced building (you can still see the original footprint at the back of the church), but remains one of the most important late medieval churches in Malta, with elegant pointed arches and traces of frescoes inside. It is unlikely that you will find it open as it is opened only on the first Sunday of every month. However, it certainly merits a visit in its own right.

The stress of modern life will soon greet you as you exit unto the main road. The next stretch is both ugly and dangerous, so take extra caution. The landscape does not improve much until you reach Triq Valletta on the outskirts of Mqabba. As you walk all the way past the airport and through the tunnel (underneath the airport’s runway), do reflect on how our ‘modern’ lifestyle has pushed the act of walking to the side, often obliging us to use mechanised transport.

6 – Parish Church of the Assumption, L-Imqabba

The route deliberately avoids the Mqabba-Qrendi bypass which is bland and at points dangerous. Instead we go through the old village core where one can still admire some beautiful vernacular architecture. The small parish church dominates the village core. Although not as artistically rich as the other big churches on this route (it was badly hit during WWII), several recent restoration projects have helped in its rehabilitation.

Festa: Mqabba (together with Qrendi) is one of the most famous centres for fireworks, and in all fairness both merit a stop in their own right. You might want to get to Qrendi and then return to Mqabba, or stop here (obviously it wouldn’t be a ‘7’ St Marys pilgrimage in that case). From a purely subjective point of view I always find Qrendi’s fireworks to be the more ostentatious, whereas Mqabba is wonderfully ingenious.

The by-pass is unavoidable, but if we exit Mqabba past the beautiful church of St Catherine, we only need worry about the by-pass for a few metres. A sharp right takes us to another Church of St Catherine (known as Tat-Torba) – a sign of how widespread the devotion towards this saint is. We can now enter Qrendi from the old village core as well. It is worth comparing the two villages – Mqabba has a slightly more genteel feel to it, whereas Qrendi has a homelier feel.

7 – Parish Church of the Assumption, Il-Qrendi

We finish our pilgrimage with another hidden gem – a miniature masterpiece by Lorenzo Gafá started in 1685. One of the most impressive features is the way Gafá creates the impression of grandeur, when in reality this is a rather small edifice. Despite its size it contains several impressive works of art, including a splendid altarpiece of St Stephen by Stefano Erardi.

Festa: There is much to admire here but fireworks remain at the top of the list. Just like Mqabba before, the Qrendin are renowned for the aerial fireworks which are given off from the other side of the valley, making for an impressive backdrop.

Taħsbuni miġnun…

If you would like to read this article in English click here

Taħsbuni miġnun. Intom u għaddejjin ġewwa l-kaxxi tal-azzar li ssejħu ‘karozzi’ – taħsbuni miġnun miexi waħdi. Kultant nammetti – inħossni konxju, speċjalment meta nkun għaddej f’xi triq prinċipali fejn bankini ma jeżistux. Sakemm narakom hemm maqfulin ġol-gaġeġ lussużi tagħkom, indannati u mgħaġġlin…u jgħaddili.

Tiħdux għalikom iżda nixtieq kultant niġbdilkom vidjow u taraw daqxejn kif tkunu. Uċuh griżi, għajnejn imberrqin, u b’dik il-ħarsa mgħaġġla hekk kif tiġru minn ċella għall-oħra. Iva – djarna tal-konkos, ir-ristoranti lussużi, il-ħwienet imburġati affarjiet…mhumiex ħlief ċelel.

Għalhekk nimxi, għax irrid naħrab mill-ħabs illi bnejna għalina nfusna.

Għadni ma ħrabtx għal kollox tafux…xorta bil-mowbajl f’idi indur u niġbed ir-ritratti u ntellagħhom online. Forsi vizzju…u forsi x-xewqa li naqsam dak li qed nara magħkom, forsi ma tafx kif, taħarbu miċ-ċella tagħkom intom ukoll. Forsi ma nibqax nimxi waħdi…

Tridu tifhmu għalfejn tlifna l-ibliet u rħulha tagħna? Tafu għalxiex id-djar tagħna waqgħu f’idejn l-iżviluppatur? Għalfejn il-pjazez u l-bankini marru għand ir-ristoranti u l-kafeteriji? Għalfejn it-toroq tagħna huma biss parkeġġ bla tmiem?

Għaliex abbandunajna l-mixi, u pajjiżna m’għadux tagħna. Tgħaddi minn ġot-toroq il-Ħadd filgħodu (jew wara nofsinhar jew filgħaxija) u baħħ totali. U dan fil-jiem sbieħ tar-Rebbiegħa! Anke x-xatt ta’ tas-Sliema – tarahom mill-karozza għar-ristorant u lura. Żewġ passi, u daqshekk jgħejjew.

Nagħmilkom tgħiduli, ‘X’int tgħid? Ix-Xatt mimli jkun! U mort sal-irdumijiet ta’ Ħad-Dingli u tgħidx kemm rajt nies jimxu!’

Iva vera, iżda ara kemm minnhom huma Maltin. Tagħrafhom lill-Maltin. Il-karozza dejjem viċin…u ġeneralment iġorru l-kċina, s-salott, u l-kamra tas-sodda magħhom. Għax hekk tgħallimna. Issa li aħna Indipendenti – eee issa għandna l-affarjiet tagħna! U biex nuri kemm huma ‘tiegħi’ l-affarjiet, inġorr kollox miegħi. Ma jmurx tal-karozza ta’ ħdejja jarawni bla mejda, u siġġijiet, u dixxijiet, u tazzi tal-plastik, u platti tal-plastik, u boroż tal-plastik…

Plastik…nofsu jispiċċa barra…

U jien għaddej waħdi miexi. Jekk niekol, waqt li miexi. Jekk nixrob, waqt li miexi. U jekk nitbissem…għax miexi.

Taħsbuni miġnun…

The First Step

Jekk trid taqra dan l-artiklu bil-Malti agħfas hawn.

There are many reasons for a pilgrimage. Some do it for religious reasons, others for spiritual reasons, and many for the sheer joy of walking. Pilgrimage might seem an anachronistic activity, particularly in today’s ‘progressive’ Western world. And yet, statistics show otherwise.

For example, over the past twenty years the number of pilgrims doing the Camino has risen from a mere 20,000 to over 300,000 per year. And it’s not just the Camino – there are many other pilgrimage routes one can take. Some take weeks, others can take a couple of hours of your life. Because for the pilgrim it is neither time nor distance that matter but intent.

I have no problems saying that a greater part of it for me is spiritual. I do not expect some great spiritual awakening – I believe that Faith is much harder work than going for a long walk. But it is the joy of rediscovering the world through one’s feet, and being thankful for it. I also wanted to engage with that most basic form of transportation, the one that pushed the human race out of Africa thousands of years ago and led us, for better or worse, to where we are today.

And the need to walk has never been so more pressing and more radical than it is today. As the planet faces a climactic meltdown, and as people become more and more absorbed in an unreal and isolated digital world, walking becomes a basic means of rebellion and salvation.

It is rebellious because walking defies traffic systems, and does not rely on technology or maps. It is also a source of salvation because it has negligible environmental impact and enormous health benefits, both physical and psychological. Whether it is walking alone or in company, it is ultimately about carrying your own weight in the world.

But a pilgrimage is not just any walk. It is walking with a purpose and a destination. Some might think that a pilgrimage is about penance or supplication, but it is not. It is about an act that we have almost completely forgotten in today’s world: thankfulness. Upon completing a pilgrimage, no matter how short, the feeling is one of gratitude and joy.

But there is a dark side.

Pilgrimages make you face the world. It forces you to face outwards and inwards. You get to meet strangers, and see dark impoverished corners of the world. Then there are moments of loneliness, where you will have to face your demons – and they do not make terribly great hiking companions. Walking makes you feel small.

Cars parked on the church parvis.
Church of St Anthony, Għajn Dwieli, Paola

I also hail from a country not exactly known for its sporting prowess – Malta is one of the laziest and fattest countries in Europe, if not the world. Rather ironic, given that the country is so small. You could cross the whole country on foot in one day.

I hope that through this simple blog you too will rediscover the joy of walking – whatever your reasons for it. I will post about routes, places & spaces, and ideas. I will also try to translate all content in Maltese as well, so it will be accessible to all.