The chapel of Sanċir is located in the limits of Rabat below Mtarfa and is one of the very few medieval chapels left in Malta believed to have been built between 1450 and 1500.
The chapel, which has an atypical pitched roof, lies in the middle of a magisterial estate known as Ġnien is‑Sultan – which may have contributed to the fact that it remained largely unchanged, adding considerably to its heritage value. Much of what is known about it comes from pastoral reports written between 1575 and 1678. It was deconsecrated by Bishop Molina, who instructed that some of its roof slabs should be removed to ensure it remained unused.
Over the centuries it was used as a rustic store, a pigsty, until the beginning of the 20th century a cow‑shed, and then largely abandoned.
The name of the chapel is interesting: pastoral visitors attributed it to St Michael Archangel. The name of San Ċir, on the other hand, has led many to believe that it was dedicated to St Cyr or Cyriacus. The confusion was compounded by the fact that both the feasts of St Cyr and St Michael Archangel are celebrated on 29 September. The most likely version is that it was dedicated to St Cyr in Byzantine times and later was named after St Michael.
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