The official inauguration of the San Dimitri Chapel Restoration carried by the Gharb Local Council is due to take place next Sunday, the 20th of January 2013 at 10am.

The restoration of the chapel was co-financed by the Rural Development Programme for Malta 2007 – 2013 under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Investing in Rural Area , 75% by the European Union and 25% was from the Government of Malta.

This chapel is built on the edge of a promontory in Gharb, close to a cliff called Ras San Mitri (St. Demetrius’ Cape) not far from Ta’ Gurdan Lighthouse, approached by a country road from Gharb.

An older chapel was built by Dun Frangisk Depena early in the fifteenth century. However, Bishop Miguel Balaguer Camarasa deconsecrated it on 24th May, 1657 and fell into disrepair. In 1736, Dun Mario Vella caused it to be rebuilt, leaving an annual legacy of five scudi for its maintenance.

On 11th April, 1809 the archpriest of Gharb, Dun Publius Refalo, blessed the chapel on behalf of Bishop Ferdinando Mattei. At the start of the second world war, at the request of the procurator Dun Paul Formosa, Papas Schiro` parish priest of the Greek Catholic community, celebrated Mass at this chapel that bears the name of a Greek saint.

There is at San Dimitri a stone altar. The altar-piece, showing St. Demetrius on horseback with a praying old woman and a young man in chains, was restored by the Gozitan artist Wistin Camilleri. The mosaic pavement was laid in 1935, and the walls were coated with mosaic in 1950. Other paintings represent St. Paul, St. Aristarchus (one of his companions in Malta), the Assumption and the Holy Face of Christ. The chapel has a small sacristy and a pleasant “zuntier”.

The feast in honour of St. Demetrius is celebrated on the Sunday following the 9th October. The church is looked after by the Gharb parish with the Archpriest of Gharb being also the chapel’s rector.

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