St Peter's Chapel, Qormi

St Peter's Chapel
Kappella ta' San Pietru
St Peter's Chapel Location within Malta
35°52′49.0″N14°28′15.9″E / 35.880278°N 14.471083°E / 35.880278; 14.471083
Location	Qormi
Country	Malta
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Active
Dedication	St Peter
Architecture
Functional status	Church
Completed	17th Century
Administration
Archdiocese	Malta
Parish	St George's

The Chapel of St Peter is a Roman Catholic 17th-century church in the village of Qormi in Malta.

Interior of the chapel

History

The original church was either built in the 15th or 16th century. It was visited by inquisitor Pietro Dusina during his apostolic visit to Malta in 1575. He recounts that the chapel lacked all necessarily things to celebrate service, had no priest and no doors but had one altar. A yearly service in honour of St Peter was celebrated and paid for by the people living nearby. Dusina ordered that all functions in the chapel cease until new doors are installed. ^[1]

In 1656 Bishop Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa visited the chapel whilst on his apostolic visit to Qormi. He mentions that the chapel was in a very bad state and consequently deconsecrated it. It was not until a few years later that the chapel was demolished and a new one was built instead. It was funded by a local priest Reverend Pietru Cassia or Casha. ^{[2] [3]}

Interior

The chapel has one stone altar and a painting depicting the martyrdom of Saint Peter. The painting is a copy of the original which can be found in the Parish church of St George. The copy was painted by Neville Attard.

Present day

Nowadays the chapel is used for perpetual adoration of the blessed Sacrament. Prior to this the chapel was used for catechism.

References

1. Busuttil, R. "Il-knisja ta’ San Pietru ~ Ħal Qormi ~", Kappelli Maltin, Malta. Retrieved on 10 March 2017.
2. "Qormi", Malta-Canada. Retrieved on 10 March 2017.
3. Spiteri, Mikiel (2000). A Hundred Wayside Chapels of Malta & Gozo, pp. 173–174. Heritage Books, Valletta. ISBN   999099305X.