The chapel of St. Martin dates
back to the 16th century and was built by nobleman Cumbo Navarra. It
was deconsecrated by Bishop Cagliaris in 1615 but the chapel was re-consecrated
again later. The beneficiary of the chapel was founded in 1643 by Rev. D. Giacomo
Muscat. The chapel was one of those rural chapels whereby its ecclesiastic
immunity was removed in June 1762.The Chapel is rectangular in shape with
barrel vault consisting of arches with stone slabs (xriek) spanning between the
arches. The floor is in patterned cement tiles.
In 1906, a number of rooms were
added on the left hand side of the chapel in order to provide accommodation for
the priest who would come down from Rabat to attend to the needs of the
families that lived in the area of Bahrija. This accommodation consists of a
long room directly accessible from the chapel, as well as a small corridor
leading to a lavatory and also to the parvis. The chapel has been scheduled as
a Grade 1 Listed Building by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in
1998 and the area is deemed to be an Area of Archaeological Importance.
The exterior of the chapel was in
a relatively good state of conservation with a few open joints. While most of
the joints are in a good state, there are some metal inserts that have resulted
in the cracking of the stone blocks. At low level the facade of the chapel and
the adjoining rooms had been plastered and painted. From closer inspection it
seemed that at least some of these areas have been rendered with a cement/sand
mix, prior to being painted. The main concern with the state of conservation of
this chapel was the reported water ingress due to rainwater surface runoff from
the adjacent countryside. Addressing the partly demolished room at the back of
the chapel was also a priority due to possible further collapse and also due to
the possibility of more water infiltration into the chapel through the walls of
this room. The bell cot also needed attention and the rusting beams and the
flaking of the masonry were also attended to. There were also other necessary
works undertaken such as the repair of the roof, the removal of any metal
inserts and the re-pointing of open joints.