Investigating the landscape context and the architectural idiosyncrasies of the late medieval church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir at Rabat, Malta

Abstract

This research topic was inspired by my personal interest in the Late Medieval period of Maltese archaeology and history as well as by a desire to create an awareness about the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, which unfortunately, despite its having been restored in AD 1983, is currently in a state of neglect. This dissertation seeks to explore the landscape context of the Late Medieval Ġnien is-Sultan and its other neighbouring giardini estates with reference to the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir’s architectural characteristics within various giardini contexts in the Rabat area. According to seventeenth-century documentation, it is physically locted in the Giardino di San Michele which forms part of a larger giardino context. The research work combines archaeological and historical textual data in order to examine the medieval landscape context of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, with particular reference to the church structure and medieval giardino agriculture practice. It must here be noted that the focus is not on the present landscape context of the church but mainly, although not completely, on its landscape context during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries AD, because this coincides with the period of the building of the church until its deconsecration. Although the area has always been an agricultural one and still is today, the church over the years has lost its importance within the agricultural giardini context. Furthermore, the landscape surrounding is much changed when it comes to field boundaries and crop production. I have focused on this particular time- frame since it was during this period that the church would have been of particular significance to this landscape. This will be discussed further in the research methodology (section 1.6) which includes an account of how the aims and objectives (section 1.2 and 1.3), were achieved. Thus this dissertation will focus on the Late Medieval landscape context of the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, by analysing the textual and archaeological sources as well as field research-based information. This dissertation will also look at the medieval architecture of the church, its dedication, its history, its excavation and rehabilitation.