The Valletta Mandraggio or Mandraġġ Denis A. Darmanin Following the Great Siege of 1565, the Order of St. John decided to build a new city with a strong defensive system. On March 14, 1566, just six months after the lifting of the siege, the decision was taken for it to be built on the Xiberras peninsula. Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette laid the first stone of the city on the 28th of the same month. Unfortunately, this Grand Master died before he could see the city taking shape and the work was placed in the hands of the Order’s leading military engineer Francesco Laparelli, who was also the personal architect of Pope Pius V. Pope Pius was a great benefactor towards the building of the city. The new city was meant to be the first from a series of fortified areas to guard the entrances to Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. Haste was the prime factor and the Order wanted to have the main fortifications ready due to the imminent possibility of another attack by the Ottoman forces. Although not the original idea, the city ended being built on Bernard Palissy’s grid-iron pattern, where the streets commenced just beyond the land front fortifications and lead all the way down to Fort St. Elmo. Twelve other streets crossed them from the Grad Harbour side to Marsamxett. The new city was named Valletta after Grand Master de Valette. Its principal defences were the restructuring and strengthening of Fort St. Elmo, a system of fortifications and ditches that encircled the entire city, an arsinale for the repair of ships and a small secluded harbour where ships could be sheltered during storms or an attack. This particular feature is the specific subject of this work.
Plan of the Marsamxett area of Valletta showing the Madraggio.
The building of the Valletta fortifications, the palaces and the ordinary houses was regulated by a code administered by a section of the Order titled Officio delle Case, which had already existed during the Order’s stay at Vittoriosa. The Officio had decreed that the inner harbour for the galleys was to be located on the Marsamxett side of the city and that stone is to be quarried from the site for the building of Valletta’s fortifications. The stone for the building houses had to be quarried from the site of the property but any additional stones were to be brought from the location intended for this refuge. Therefore, all stone was to be quarried and excavated from this site, located between St. Andrew’s Bastion and San Salvator Curtain, overlooking what today is the town of Sliema. The site was to be known as the Mandracchio or Manderaggio, which was soon twisted into the Mandraġġ by the Maltese. The name Mandraki was given by the Order to the galleys’ shelter surrounded by circular fortifications they had built in Rhodes, which they had occupied in 1309 but was lost to the Saracens in 1521. In fact, the harbour in Rhodes is still called Mandraki. Previously, the Order had a Mandraġġ by Fort St. Angelo in Vittoriosa and another was planned at a location facing Bighi, apart from the natural alcove at Cospicua, where the British later built No. 1 Dock.
Aerial view of the Mandraggio and Marsamxett of pre-WWII.
Other writers had referred to the name Manderaggi originates from the word Mandar, which means or refers to that layer of dirt and spoil that settles in the hull of galleys, which made a good fertilizer and those who cleared out this material were called Mandarini. Others had other meanings to its meaning but we shouldn’t go to extremes, since ‘mandra’ in Maltese refers to swill! We are lucky to have many contemporary plans that show the Mandraġġ; the oldest being that published in Rome by Antonio Lafrerj titled ‘DISEGNO DELLA NUOVA CITTA’ DI MALTA’. Most show this space either as a rectangle or oval shaped, amongst them: ‘LA NUOVA CITÆ FORTEZZA DI MALTA CHIAMATA VALLETTA’, by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio published in Rome in 1582, ‘VALLETTA DIE NEW STAT MALTA’, by Daniel Specklin published in 1585, which apart from the Mandraġġ, it also shows the Arsenale where today is known as is-Sur tal-Franċiżi or id-Due Balli. There is also ‘VALLETAE CIVITAS MONTE REPLETA’, attributed to Philippe Thomassin published in Rome in 1586, another by Pierre Mortier published in Amsterdam, Holland around 1663 and others. The building of Valletta took a steady rhythm, including the quarrying of stone from the Mandraġġ. Unfortunately, the quality of the stone being quarried from the site began to be inferior and possibly too hard. Consequently, the Order’s engineers realised that this space was too small to accommodate the entire fleet, especially the battle squadron, while the location was subject to the strong winds and currents brought by the
Maestrale. Furthermore, considering that there was now Valletta to safeguard the Grand Harbour, which was a natural harbour endowed with numerous sheltered creeks and inlets. Work on this basin was halted and the idea of a Mandracchio was scrapped. This fate was also shared by Lapparelli’s plan for an Arsenale near St. Elmo. As part of the project, a gap was left in the centre of the curtain to serve as an entrance to the Mandracchio. Due to the project being scrapped, a wall had to be built to span this breach in the fortifications and the difference in the stone can still be noted to this day because of the different stone that was used.
The walled-up breach quite visible prior to restoration works and removal of fishermen’s shacks, 2009.
Between the years 1575 and 1600, a number of shacks and rooms were being erected in the Mandraggio, none of which followed any conformity to the grid-iron plan of Valletta. Most were inhabited by workers who came to Valletta during its building boom and even later to seek their fortune in the new city. Many ended as destitute and either scraped a living doing any work that could be found of even unemployed and turning to crime, which was common amongst the poor in any European city of the time. The houses or rather shacks that flourished in the Mandraggio continued to increase which gave the area a totally different ambience from the rest of the city; its streets were nothing but a labyrinth of narrow and dark alleys. Poverty and all that goes with it prevailed. Due to the height discrepancy, some of the houses close to the fortifications were as high as eight floors high, while those on higher grounds were only of two floors. However, the houses that flanked the four streets that bordered the Mandraggio were all aligned with the rest of the streets but any houses built behind them were built at random in the maze of alleys. Some foreign visitors had compared the Mandraggio to the medina quarters of North Africa. The borders of the Mandraggio were Marsamuschetto Street exactly on the Marsamxett Curtain, St. Patrick Street which ran parallel to it at rear, with St. Mark Street and St. Lucia Street on each side. The principal entrance to the Mandraggio was from the stairs once located at the lower part of St. John Street, where the renowned confectioner Neriku had started his business. One of the two secondary entrances or narrow stairways was in St. Mark Street and was known as ‘il-Mina taċ-Ċintura’ (the arch of Our Lady of
Consolation), and the other in St. Lucia Street and was known as ‘It-Tomba tal-Mandraġġ’ (the ‘grave’). Most areas within the Mandraio also had names, such as Ir-Rokna (the ‘corner’), iż-Żenqa (the ‘narrow steps’), ilKwartier (the ‘quarters’), il-Gandott (the ‘ditch’) and d-Dranaġġ (the ‘sewer’). There was also the famous arch of St. Patrick Street, which was made immortal by many old postcards. The Mandraggio had two main alleyways, Strada Manderaggio and Strada San Giorgio, although its doubtful if the latter’s name was official. The wide part of the Mandraggio was known as ‘Il-Kortil’, due to resembling a large courtyard. Although not accurate, early in the 20th century the Mandraggio is recorded of having 333 numbered doors, which also includes St. Patrick Street. There were also a number of ‘kerreja’, or houses that were split into small tenements. One could also find grocer shops, greengrocers, wine, tea and coffee shops, as well as one or two cookhouses. It is reputed that till well into the 20th century, the house of the famous artist Mattia Preti was located in St. Patrick Street.
View of the Mandraggio from Triq Santa Lucija.
A vivid description of the Mandraggio was given by Dr. W. H. Burrell when in 1854 he wrote: “Although Valletta is a clean city and well ventilated, there are certain areas of this city that are an exception. One of which is the Mandraggio, which at the first glace, once realises that it’s a place of sickness....... In the best alleys there are houses with cellars, small shops and ground or first floor residences, many of which are just the one room and occupied by large families. Many of the rooms by the alleys have wells underneath with the well-hood being in the same room where there is a corner for necessities as well as animals, which along with just the door being the only ventilation, create smells and bad sanitary conditions, inasmuch that many preferred to sleep in the alleys in summer.
I visit these places regularly, which are of the same dimensions, dark, dirty and humid. Some rooms have high ceilings spanned on arches. Some of the residents place wooden beams to create an intermediate level where the family can sleep.”
The labyrinth of lanes and irregular buildings.
Obviously, the author was British and had written on what he had witnessed. He had to be graphic in his description in order to prick the conscience of the authorities on the situation in the Mandraggio and why had so many perished in the Plague of 1813. Any form of a water system in the dwellings of those then living in the Mandraggio was unheard of, other to fetching water from the number of natural springs within the city. So how could these people know anything about sanitation! The first potable water and water for other usage arrived at the Mandraggio in 1615, when Grand Master Alofius de Wignacourt had constructed the famous aqueduct that conveyed water from natural sources in the Rabat region. Once the water made its way into a number of rock-hewn cisterns and supplied fountains in Valletta, a cistern that could hold 300,000 litters of water and two fountains were built to supply water to the Mandraggio. Any overflow would run down to the sea through special ducting in the bastion wall. This innovation had rightfully served to bring a new life to the inhabitants, especially with drinking water and water for washing. The two fountains were similar to the other by G.M. Wignacourt just within Porta Reale, which usually bore a putto’s face or lion’s head with water sprouting from their mouths. Above the heads were two escutcheons, one baring the coat-of-arms of G.M. Wignacourt and the other having the symbol of the Langue of Auvergne, the Dauphin houriant or ‘upright dolphin’. The sculpture was by Master Giuseppi Casanova and the fountains were constructed by Grezzju Imbroll u Indri Farrugia, along with their assistants and slaves. It is believed that this upper fountain had nearly totally disappeared by the beginning of the twentieth century but is recorded as being next to the carpenter’s shop with door number 297. Yet, other needs still lacked behind which at most times resulted in sickness and even death. Flies were still considered as pests, rather than the carriers of diseases. Although Grand Master Perellos had brought to Malta the engineer Romano Carapecchia in 1707 to construct a drainage system in Valletta, this system is very
doubtful if it ever reached the Mandragio. In the part of the Mandraggio called the ‘Zenqa’, there was a cess pit with a hood with a wooden cover, that was kept always whitewashed with lime, into which were dumped all natural wastes. This was one of nineteen that were known along Strada Manderaggio. There were also a number of grilles on the ground, connected to the ducting in Triq tal-Kanal, from which all water, rain or otherwise, cascaded to the sea on the other side of the curtain wall from an opening some four meters above sea level.
Stone fountains and metal hand pumps; Mangraġġari washing and fetching water.
Although the inhabitants of the Mandraggio were constraint to live in such squalor, they weren’t of bad stock as one would imagine. They were rather a reserved type, hard-headed and very likely did not mix with others outside of their borders. It could well be that not many wanted any association with people from the Mandraggio due to the stigma associated with their poor living standards. Such a system was very common in most Malta villages till well after the First World War, where even marriages outside the local village circle were rarely permitted. One can easily say that most of those who lived in the Mandraggio were somehow related to eachother. This was also common in the Mandraggio in Vittoriosa, where till late in the twentieth century, four or five surnames predominant. Due to obvious reasons, people from other districts of Valletta, and even more outsiders, did not venture within the Mandraggio, other to priests, the police, sanitary inspectors and very few others. Pity on that drunken sailor or civilian who would end up in there by mistake, as he would loose all his possessions and was probably left next to naked! The two fountains mentioned earlier were the source where water was drawn for all needs. They were also the meeting place for the women; either to fetch water fro cooking or washing, or to bathe their cluster of children, others carry a large zinc tub with the daily washing, or just to chat with friend or neighbour. There were times when a heated argument broke out and you can imagine the tongue lashing that they gave one another, probably joined by other kin, and no one in the family tree was left unscratched, dead or alive! But most were just spurs of the moment although the incident would never be forgotten. These same people were also very religious and homely. The Mangraggio was renowned for its devotion towards Our Lady of Mount Carmel or ‘tal-Karmnu’, as better known and at a time when there were only two parishes in Valletta; the then Mount Carmel church was
the Mandraggio’s church. Names such as Karmena, Mananni, Karmnu u Marija, and even in their English versions were very common right up to the 1960’s. Although a statue of St. Paul stood on the corner of St. John Street and St. Patrick Street, on most facades by the doorway, one would see tiny niches dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel or of Our Lady of Consolation. The latter is venerated in the church of St. Augustine, which on its fest day, a small wooden altar complete with candlesticks and a copy of the Madonna’s altarpiece. Like elsewhere in Malta, there were plenty of niches mainly dedicated to St. Rocque, St. Joseph, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Rita. At a time when social services, good sanitation and sound employment were very lacking, the only other refuge was their faith and the church. The passage of time did not change the Mandraggio so much. Its population was always large considering that families had many children. As many as four people lived in a one room, or as many as twelve in a little shack. Poor people! How could a mother keep her children happy, properly dressed and fed when most had to struggle for a living? What about that father who had to find means to feed all those hungry mouths? Most were hardworking men but others just gave up and fell foul to grog and vices with bad consequences to the wife and children. However, these were had times all over Malta and this scenario was common in every town and village throughout the island. Men from the Mandraggio who had a job were known to be hard-working and capable. Due to being next to the sea, many were employed on the Order’s galleys or other craft. The Order’s bakery was built in 1584 and was located just two streets away from the Mandraggio and remained in use until very early in the 20th century. Many men from the Mandraggio worked there and became excellent bakers. With the arrival of the British, other men from the area enlisted as sailors with the navy of the new sovereign. Living by the sea, at an early age many became excellent boatmen and fishermen, and the latter could bring some freshly caught fish for the family to eat or barter. Synonymous with the Royal Navy were the ‘bumboats’, where a boatmen would buy items of necessity to sailors and on particular days were allowed to go alongside vessels or even on their decks, to sell their wares to the ship’s crew. Nearly a century later, that section of Valletta on the Marsamxett Harbour side near the Mandraggio was named the Marsamxetto Ferry Landing, since a steam ferry service was introduced to Sliema and the Grand Harbour. Therefore, this part of Valletta’s foreshore became synonymous with the Mandraggio and became its ‘seaside territory’. Either because they had a large family to feed or because they possessed some talent and wished to use it to make a better life, others from the area excelled in playing musical instruments and made a name for themselves. It is a known fact that for more than a century, certain areas in Valletta were notorious for being a haven for sailors and soldiers from Britain and the Empire. They had wages but not the places to spend it at and in Valletta once could find that his heart had wished for. Valletta had grog shops by the dozens, especially in Strait Street or ‘the Gut’, as it was known with the men in uniforms. So many men either ran these shops or worked as barmen, waiters, bouncers, dishwashers, errand boys and any other work involved with the trade, especially musicians. Others were bandsmen who played either with the ‘Nazzionale’ or with ‘Ta’ l-Istilla’, but also held part time jobs entertaining ‘the boys’ in one of these bars and from where they could earn some extra money. British sailors were known to get quite drunk and trouble always followed. Fights broke out easily and the Maltese were united and had fighters. Others would dare the risk to clear any loose change left on any table or from the pockets of any sailor that was knocked out on the floor.
Valletta hosted other more refined establishments aimed to cater for the families of the British servicemen and the Maltese upper class. Here again, we find that men from the Mandraggio formed part of the staff. Although having a bad reputation, yet many capable persons emerged from the Mandraggio. Criminality was not lacking
either, although common in any town and village throughout Malta, but possibly more in Valletta due to being in the capital city. The inhabitants of the Mandraggio had never found any assistance to better themselves and neither can we look back at Valletta and Malta of those times with a modern perspective. Today we have everything and we live a luxurious life, practically everyone is employed, including women, and we have money in our pockets. As a rule, prior to the Second World War women and girls did not go out to work, yet some did work as washer-women or cleaners, either wish rich families or in the famous ‘Lodgings’ where British sailors stayed during their liberty periods or when the ship was in the dock for a refit. A false belief is that barmaids and prostitutes that operated in Valletta were local girls and women. Many of these females came from the towns and villages who fell foul with life, sought refuge in Valletta and earned a living ‘offering comfort’ to the sailors.
Triq San Patrizju (slightly doctored).
Children and stepped alleys of the Mandraggio.
Neither was education compulsory, so one can doubt as to how many children from the Mandraggio had attended any school. In those days even the children were obliged to find some means to ‘earn a penny’ or perform menial tasks for some small payment. Others were left to fend for themselves and petty theft was part of daily life. Life in Valletta had definitely changed with the arrival of the British and the Mandraggio did not change much at all, except there were other venues where one could earn a living; even if not an honest one. Late in the nineteenth century, sanitary conditions in the Mandraggio remained antiquated if not unknown. A number of water hand-pumps were installed in certain areas when the lower fountain was stopped. From a survey conducted by A. Critien who was the Sanitary Inspector for Valletta after the First World War, he states
that at the time 71 premises in the Mangraggio had W.C’s, of which only 40, assumed to have been in Strada Mandraggio, emptied in a primitive drainage system that flowed to a pump by the sea known as ‘Il-Cable’. And from these 40 premises, only eleven had piped water! There were also 22 ‘kerreja’, a tenement separately occupied by a number of families, where anything from four to seven people lived in one room. Although on ‘kerreja’ is supposedly to have had 43 rooms, only 22 were rented out and in which 31 people had lived. The author continues that by the time of writing, some 53 premises had piped water, although the large water cisterns and reservoirs were still being use for fetching water. From time to time, Malta wasn’t spared its share of epidemics and the Mandraggio was not excluded. During the third plague epidemic of 1675-6 and called ‘Il-Pesta ta Matteo Bonnici’ (Bonnici’s Plague), 278 persons were recorded to have died from the 942 living at the Mandraggio at the time. The population of the Mandraggio varied with time and the register ‘Rollo e state delle anime della Chiesa Matrice di Santa Maria di Porto Salvo’ states that in 1727 some 966 persons lived there, which by 1737 had decreased to 844. The 1813 plague report gives the population of the Mandraggio as being 3,000, which is somewhat high and of which only 99 persons had perished. In the cholera outbreak of 1865, only 20 had died from the Mandraggio’s population of 1696 persons. The number of inhabitants grew to 2544 in 1881 but detailed studies conducted in 1888 show that figures could never be accurate as while there were 1565 people living in the Mandraggio, 976 others lived within its boundaries. The census of 1911 showed that there were 1814 persons, of whom 1210 lived in the heart of the Mandraggio, while in 1933, there were no more than 1000 persons living in the area of Strada Manderaggi. This later figure is probably wrong but just at the outbreak of the Second World War, the total inhabitants of the Mandraggio were only 1,214. By the beginning of the 20th century, much of the filth that had existed in the Mangraggio was cleared away. The area also had the services of two street-sweepers who swept the area twice weekly. Rain water and water from the Wignacourt fountains played an important role in keeping the alleys clean and for those women those women who did their daily washing and kept their ‘houses’ clean. These women did not own much in clothing and household linen, but just like most Maltese women, many were renown of how fussy they were in trying to keep their husbands’ and children’s clothing clean. The dominant problem of the Mandraggio was that most of the buildings were far from the acceptable standard for habitation. The sun hardly penetrated this labyrinth of narrow alleys and the rate of humidity was alarming. Such conditions gave room for the spread of diseases and death, especially to the cramped living conditions, lack of hygiene as water alone is not enough, lack of nourishment, and most other ailment connected to this low standard of living. Yet although the inhabitants of the Mandraggio has suffered under these conditions, the fault belonged to none other than of the civil authorities, who left these people live in such misery for some 250 years! During recent discussions with elderly people who were the products of the pre-war Mandraggio, I had learnt about the other side of the simple daily life in this area. Such phrases like; ‘ghall kemm fqar, kienu nies sinjuri’ (although poor, we were rich) and ‘fil-Mandraġġ ħadd qatt ma miet bil-ġuħ’ (In the Mandraggio, no-one died of hunger), had really surprised me. Women from Valletta were renown to love golden jewellery and when dressed up for a particular occasion, they will wear rings, gold chains, brooches with matching ear-rings and those notorious golden bangles or ‘fili’ worn around the wrist and high up the forearm to show off your wealth! Some even went as far as to utter that the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel resembled a ‘Mandraġġara’; a woman from the Mandraggio, as due to their great devotion towards the Holy Mother under this title. Many devotees implored to the Holy Mother for divine intervention and donated jewellery as gifts with which the statue was decorated, especially on its feast day.
Others recalled of how strong was the role of religion in their daily life. Of how during the months of May and October, entire families and even neighbours would take chairs and stools out by their doorways, where all would recite the Rosary together. Or how when someone was about to die and a monk was summoned to perform the Last Rites, the ‘Vjatku’, people would lay carpets along the path or take out paraffin lamps if it was dark, in respect to the Holy Eucharist. Up until the war, the Mandraggio also boasted its own midwife, who was responsible for the delivery of most of the births. A nice custom was that when a woman was about to give birth, some of her neighbours would stand near her front door and pray for a safe delivery. Even after she gave birth, some would share their cooking with her family until she was fit enough to look after the house again. And what about when a death occurred in the Mandraggio! These people were known for their big heart and the entire area would be in mourning. During the turbulent years of the Second World War, the Mandraggio received its own share of devastation from the aerial bombings and many houses were destroyed. Many found refuge in the rock-hewn shelters under the fortifications by the sea at Marsamxett. Others sought the security offered by the crypt beneath the church of St. Augustine and the shelter beneath. But there were others who were stubborn and refused to leave their homes at all cost. In the general elections of 1947, the Labour Party under Dr Paul Boffa was elected in government for the first time. The young architect Dominku Mintoff was entrusted with the Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction. War damage at the Mandraggio (Malta at War).
At the top of his list, Mintoff had a project where the entire Mangraggio was to be demolished and the architectural firm B. Harrison and R. Pearce Hubbard were commissioned for the project due to the study they produce some two years earlier, title “Valletta and the Three Cities: A Report to accompany the Outline Plan”. Now was the chance for the Mandraggio to be demolished to be replaced by modern social housing for its inhabitants. Some objected to the plan and strongly resisted, as not everyone had appreciated or understood what this change would mean and on one occasion the police had to intervene due to a personal threat to Mr. Mintoff. On another occasion, a group of students from the faculty of architecture at the University of Malta were taken on a tour of the Mandraggio with regards to the project but had to leave after being pelted with tin cans by some of the residents. One writer went far as to say that there were some who had chosen to retain their lifestyle tied to the ugliness, filth and squalor that the Mandraggio was known for! By 1960, the pre-war Mandraggio was dead and everyone was happy with their new apartments that were erected in its place. THE MANDERAGGIO — OLD AND NEW by U.M. Extract from “The Knight”, Union Press, March 1954, Vol IV, nº 3: “The Manderaggio in Valletta was originally the zone reserved and prescribed for the quarrying of the stone required to build the palaces for the knights and the homes for the Maltese. In the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen nothing was left to chance; and the town planners aimed at a single blow, to provide the building material from the nearest source and furnish the Order at no expense, with a cosy little harbour for the building of galleys and other craft. The project was discontinued long before the quarrying had reached sea level, and the uneven hollow was allowed to develop into a festering sore poisoning the life blood of the noble city. On a
tiny site, 383 tenements, mostly one-roomed, sprang jigsaw fashion. Over 1,500 persons lived away from the sunshine in streets barely two yards wide. In 1949 a Labour Government, pulled down this rabbit warren, and began in earnest to provide flats for men and women who had shared taps and lavatories, sorrow and vice, for over 850 years.”
Plans of the ‘new’ Mandraġġ as built in the 1950’s (Public Works Department).
Although the old Mandraggio’s gone, a particular building in Marsamxett Road opposite the junction with Great Siege Road, there’s a door covered with corrugated sheeting amongst the few contemporary dwellings that were retained. Once through this doorway and the short flight of steps, a very small section of the old Mandraggio remains. All the post-war apartments were built from road level, therefore a large part of the old Mandraggio had to be buried with infill, raft foundations laid and the new apartments built on them. Some time before the demolition and rebuilding project, Ruzar Calleja, an employee within the Public Works Department had constructed a scale model of the old Mandraggio measuring 103cm by 76cm. This model was recently placed on exhibition at the Museum of Ethnography at the Inquisitors Palace, Vittoriosa, which thanks to the assistance by Heritage Malta, was the inspiration for our project. Unfortunately, the present Mandraġġ still carries part of the stigma of the former quarters, even though the modern residents are just like any others throughout Malta and Gozo. Social and family problems exist everywhere and are not any different from those that effect sections of our population. Maybe there are those who still enjoy tarnishing the name of the Mandraġġ!
Model of the Mangraggio by Ruzar Calleja.
In 1968, the church of St. Augustine in Old Bakery Street was elevated to a Parish and the Mandraġġ fell within its boundaries. Many renowned names emerged from the Mandraġġ and many are now household names. They spectrum varies from doctors, bakers, musicians, members of the Local Council, teachers, athletes, and others. Most the players of Valletta’s first water polo team were from the Mandraġġ. And what about carnival; who hasn’t heard of ‘Pawlu l-Pampalun’ or Oscar Curmi? Many of those who build the floats, the dancers and crew, for many years came from the Mandraġġ. From the Mandraġġ emerged great confectioners like Mannarinu Confectionery ‘ta’ Mannaru’, Tanti ‘ta’ Tanti Palmier’, Cacciattolo, ‘li-Swain’, Xmun Borg and his brothers ‘tax-Xelin’, Toni Zammit ‘tal-Għawdċi’ and his son Neriku, ‘is-Sultan’ and others. If it’s musicians, George ‘il-Puse`’ tops the list. The McKay’s, Agius, the brothers Seychell are famous names in football, just like ‘taċ-Ċorma’ and ‘il-Lolu’ are for bakers. In the prime of Water Polo, ‘l-Ors’ and ‘ilBuffalo’ were top players. Even in the old Mandraggio, there were two doctors, Dr Cremona and Dr Calamatta! Much was said earlier about religious feasts and activities and many of the statues carried on either the principal feasts, those secondary and of Good Friday. It’s enough to mention the brothers Borg ‘tax-Xelin’, had spent decades administering and carrying in procession the statues of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and that of Our Lady of Consolation. These are all names belonging to the post-war era but there were many more before that are no longer with us and possibly forgotten. True ‘Mandraġġari’ from these earlier years remain very few and are all of a venerable age, and some were interviewed so that their memories will be preserved for posterity. I will end by stating that what is written here is far from being the official history of the Mandraggio or Mandgraġġ, or of the people who were born, lived and died in these quarters. This is only a collection of information and events to aid the reader to understand how life was in this particular area of Valletta which is no longer with us except in its name. It is probably that first hand information regarding the old Mandraggio is not easy to acquire, and hope that my own contribution serves as a good reference. And a word to the present generations emerging from the Mandraġġ; cherish the memory of the locality that you’re from, how it came to be and evolved as the Mandraġġ was the roots of most of you and part of the foundations of the history of Valletta and of Malta.
Panoramic view of Marsamxett and the Mandraġġ as seen from the sea, 2012.
Sources: The Mandraggio; Notes, historical and other, 1938, A. Critien A City by an Order, 1985, Roger de Giorgio Underneath Valletta, The Malta Independent on Sunday, 15 March 2009, Noel Grima Il-Mandraġġ, It-Torċa, 24 March 2007, Victor Scerri The Secrets of underground Valletta, Noel Grima The Mandraggio, Old and New, The Knight, March 1954, Vol. IV, Nº 3, by U.M. A Complete Guide to Heraldry, 1909, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies Second Report on Quarantine, Report on the Plague in Malta in 1813, 1854, W.H. Burrell http://schoolnet.gov.mt/history/wirt/Kavallieri/bini-belt/UnderneathVal.htm
Acknowledgement: R. Ellis & Co., Heritage Malta, D.O.I., Judge G. Bonello, Family Zammit and family Curmi. Fr F. Saviour Grima OSA Victor Scerri Text and photos copyright the author and sources © 2012
Marsamxett Ferry Landing, Cockney Bar, the front section of the Mandraġġ on Triq Marsamxett with St. Agustine’s Church and convent in the background.