I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there used to be one anyway.

Origin

Fra Giorgio Nibbia was a Knight of Malta and lived on the island in the early 17th century.

In 1619, he financed a chapel¹ near the Knights’ hospital on the eastern tip of the Valletta Peninsula. The Roman Catholic church consecrated the chapel dedicating it to Our Lady of Mercy¹. This was near a cemetery along the Knights’ hospital; many of those buried there had died in the hospital¹.

When Nibbia died, they buried him in the cemetery beside what became known as Nibbia chapel¹.

By 1730, the Knights’ hospital had outgrown the facilities they had. They demolished the chapel to allow for an extension of the hospital, and built a new one close by¹. They placed the remains from the cemetery in a large crypt, which may have been near or under this new chapel².

In 1852, Reverend Sacco was the chaplain in the hospital. He came up with the idea of using the skeletal remains in the crypt to decorate the chapel¹. (The Paris oassuary opened in 1810, so this was not a novel idea by any stretch of the imagination.)

The chapel soon became known as the Chapel of Bones². It became famous enough to be a tourist attraction, and even featured on postcards from the era¹.

There’s a well-maintained chapel of bones in Kutna Hora, Czechia.

Destruction and loss

On 14 February 1941, a stray enemy bomb hit the chapel^{2 3}. I’ve read one account which claims it was a Luftwaffe bomb³, but the Italian aeronautica ran sorties over Malta too.

The authorities soon moved remains to the Addolorata cemetery in Marsa¹, which was the primary cemetery for the islands.

The entire structure lasted till the 1970s when it was destroyed². I couldn’t find any information about the cause, but I’m guessing erosion because the site itself is still in place. While overgrown with weeds, and in poor condition, the remains of the chapel are visible.

Rumours

Rumour has it that the large crypt is still underground and is ready for excavation. There’s plenty of stuff under the streets of Valletta so this wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve not found any information proving this crypt exists or not.

Another rumour claims the bones used in the decor of the church were skeletons of people who died in the Great Siege of 1565. The chapel wasn’t ready or decorated till the 19th century – 300 years after the Great Siege!

1. Nibbia Chapel, Malta; Bojan Ivanov; Abandoned spaces; 2017-07-12[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Nibbia Chapel, Malta; Bojan Ivanov; Abandoned spaces; 2017-07-12[↩][↩][↩][↩]
3. The Chapel of Bones; Roger Crowley; 2014-05-11[↩][↩]