L-Aħrax statue to be moved due to rock fissure

The Madonna ta’ l-Aħrax statue at the cliff edge of l-Aħrax tal-Mellieha is to be moved by five metres to safeguard it from a ground fissure which could destroy it.

The statue will be moved to a site where the rock is more stable, where a chapel originally stood. The chapel had also been relocated in the past and now stands several metres away from the rock edge.

A Restoration Method Statement reveals that natural developments have led to the formation of a fissure, which may lead to the collapse and loss of the statue in question.

The government’s restoration directorate wants to safeguard the existing statue and memorial plaque by relocating it to safer grounds. The existing pedestal could also be replaced by a design based on that of the original structure as documented in a photo of a previous statue, with proportions which better respect the size of the existing statue. But the pedestal will not be replaced if underlying original structures are found.

An 1870 plaque encased within the concrete statue pedestal refers to the year when Bishop Fra Gaetano Pace Forno bestowed indulgencies on those who recited a prayer in front of the statue. But the plaque was not originally attached to the current pedestal and statue, as a historic photograph indicates that the original was at some point in time replaced by the current one.

The plaque granting indulgences will be retained within the front of the monument, but a deteriorated lantern that is out of proportion to the statue will be removed.

The l-Aħrax cliff-edge is displaying similar geotechnical issues typical of other coastline ridges in Malta and Gozo, but given the lack of studies, the rate of ground movement is as yet unknown, and a precise prediction of a collapse cannot be made.

Because of the immediate vicinity of the cliffs where seabirds nest, Birdlife has called on the authorities not to conduct relocation works during the sensitive breeding period between January and July, during which time vibrations and noise can impact the colony. As approved by the Planning Authority last week, the works can only commence following the issue of an Environment permit by ERA.