Places of Interest in Qala - The Stone Cross Monument

You might have seen them around the Maltese islands, but did you ever wonder why stone columns topped with a cross were built?

In this article we take a look at the devotional stone cross of Qala and its legend, older pillar crosses erected in memory of churches that no longer exist, as well as the evolution of stone

columns and columnar monuments throughout Malta’s history. Their origins take us back to much longer than we might have thought - to prehistoric times - where we find that ultimately stone columns were devotional and not merely a structural support feature.

THE DEJMA CROSS

It is said that Militia soldiers used to gather around stone columns surmounted by a cross known as Dejma Cross prior to being assigned to duties. From here, they would read out important manifestos to the village community. These soldiers were known as the Dejma soldiers, hence how the cross columns got their name.

COLUMNAR CROSSES FOR DEVOTION

For centuries, the village square, which is often synonymous with the parish church square, has represented the core around which the Maltese urban landscape developed. One of the recurring elements in the typical village square configuration are columnar, or pillar, crosses. Although varying in detail, these generally conform to a design consisting of a cross set atop a free-standing column with the whole resting on a stepped, often circular, base. Although they may all look the same or similar in their design, they are in fact very different in their original purpose.

Their assimilation in the village square is a later development and there is a strong indication that they originated as substitutive indicators of a sacred perimeter, such as abandoned cemeteries or deconsecrated churches and chapels. In such cases, as is the case with this cross in the photo, these columnar crosses functioned as a reminder of the once sacred nature of the terrain on which they stand in the hope of eliciting a prayer. (1)

THE STONE CROSS MONUMENT IN QALA

This stone cross monument in the photo is located in the front courtyard of a very old house in 28 April 1688 Street, Qala, Gozo. The area is known as Tas-Salib (“of the Cross”). It is said that this was the spot that the people had chosen to build the Immaculate Conception church (tal-Kunċizzjoni) which was instead built in the area known as Tal-Ħalq, on the way to Ħondoq Bay.

THE LEGEND TIED TO THE QALA STONE CROSS

There is a legend related to this site. Young and old, yearning to fuffill their promise to build a chapel for the many graces received, started to heap blocks of stone on this spot at Tas-Salib in preparation for its construction. During the night, the blocks were nysteriously transported to an area kn wn as Tal-Hala. When it happened a second time, some men decided to guard the area. It is said that, in the middle of the night, they beheld a lady dressed in white passing nearby and as she proceeded on her way, the blocks mysteriously rushed behind her towards tal-Halq. It was a heavenly sign, they immediately knew, that Tal-Halq was the Blessed Virgin Mary's choice.

STONE COLUMNS: MORE THAN AN A STRUCTURAL SUPPORT

The column is one of the most natural elements in architecture. It is the simplest solution to a problem, that of supporting a horizontal span rising above ground, and yet columns are much more then simply a means to an end. They often embody man's aim to dominate and manipulate all that is around him not only by supporting loads but also by giving a physical form to the measure of his ambition. (1)

COLUMNS AND DEVOTION THROUGHOUT MALTA’S HISTORY

“Apart from being part of an architectural whole, columns also evolved as monuments in their own right, standing in isolated, gravity-defying, splendour,” writes Joe Azzopardi in his book ‘Heritage fragments - Bearing the weight of history’.

He continues: “In Christian archaeology, the column is a symbol of the church which was, from very early times, called "columna et firmitatum veritatis" ("the column and support of truth").

Columns of monumental proportions were widely used by ancient civilisations. One of the grandest examples is the Great Hypostyle Hall (circa 1,300 B.C.) (…) However, it was Greek culture that made the column the bearer of its architectural legacy to the world and suggested its use to their heirs, the Romans.

Roman Malta must have been the home of a considerable number of columns. This can be discerned from many factors - the main one being the number of fragments that survive. Many are now preserved at the Domus Romana in Rabat. This is the only Roman building in Malta of which we know, more or less, the exact configuration.

Although ignored by the sophistication of the Knights' artistic vanguard, however, the column continued to exert its lure on the Maltese population.”

COLUMNAR CROSSES IN MEMORY OF CHURCHES

Many of the older pillar crosses were erected to compensate for the official de-consecration of a number of churches that were either abandoned or demolished altogether. In this category belongs the pillar cross in Qormi, close to the Victory Church, which replaced a number of churches that were de-consecrated by Bishop Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa (1635-1663) in 1652 and later demolished. In the same category is the columnar cross at Ħal Millieri, Żurrieq, close to St. John the Evangelist’s chapel, and the one in Three Churches Street in Balzan, where now only two churches and a cross remain. (1)

PILLAR CROSSES AS BOUNDARY MARKERS

A few pillar crosses can also be seen along major roads and these tend to have originated for a different purpose than the ones described above. This form of representation, in fact, also became popular as territorial boundary markers. One of the oldest of this type to have survived is the one at Marsa, which stands in an area simply known as "Croce Marsa" ("at the Marsa Cross"). The column and cross we see today are a modern reconstruction, the original one having been refashioned a number of times. The latest version of the cross is only a few years old and was erected to replace one that had been vandalised. This carried an inscription with the date 15 4 83. The cross stands at the point where the parish of St. Paul in Valletta met that of Oormi, from which the former was extracted.

The column at Mrieħel, close to Wignacourt's aqueduct, stands at the intersection of the parishes of Attard, Balzan, Birkirkara and Qormi. This cross is thought to have had the added function of demarking the civil jurisdiction exerted by the municipalities of Mdina and Valletta. Those living north of the Mrieħel Cross fell under the Mdina authorities, while those to the south were under the authority of Valletta. It must be remembered that during the Knights era, Mdina was largely perceived as being the stronghold of the local nobility, while Valletta was the undisputed territory of the Knights.

It is not clear why this particular type of marker was chosen to fulfil the role of boundary demarcation. It is possible that it was an attempt to invest the outline of such boundaries, that in many cases were prone to individual interpretation, with a sort of divine involvement. This idea is not without merit in a place the size of Malta, inhabited by hot-tempered Mediterraneans who could become extremely involved in parochial animosity. Pillar crosses for this function were once much more common but many had to be removed to accommodate the expanding road network. Strangely enough, a columnar cross can be seen in the middle of the saltpans at Salina.