1657Order of St JohnPope St Sylvester IFeast: 31 December
Built in 1657 through the patronage of a Hospitaller knight, this small chapel honours Pope St Sylvester I and keeps a unique “year-end” feast tradition alive.
Overview
Kappella San Silvestru (St Sylvester Chapel) is a compact wayside chapel in Mosta. Although it now sits amid busy traffic routes,
older accounts note that it once stood on the outskirts of the village.
16 September 1608: Mosta becomes a parish (context for the 17th-century chapel-building boom).
24 December 1657: foundation as a commenda recorded in notarial acts (Notary Mikiel Ralli), funded by Fra Silvestru Fiteni.
31 December: feast of St Sylvester (St Sylvester’s Day), linked to the saint’s death on 31 December 335.
Tip for your site taxonomy: although many people call it a “church”, it is best presented as a chapel (kappella) within Mosta’s network of rural and urban devotional sites.
History
1) Mosta in the 17th century: a parish with growing chapels
By the early 1600s, Mosta’s status as a parish helped spur chapel building in its surrounding countryside and along access routes.
A detailed local study notes Mosta’s parish establishment in 1608, setting the stage for later foundations such as San Silvestru.
2) The foundation of Kappella San Silvestru (1657)
The chapel is tied to the patronage of Fra Silvestru Fiteni, a knight of the Order of St John.
A published study (OAR@UM) records that the chapel was built during the time of Mosta’s third parish priest,
Dr Dun Carlo Schembri (1647–1671), and that the chapel had the title of a commenda,
established by the acts of Notary Mikiel Ralli on 24 December 1657.
3) A chapel that moved from “outskirts” to centre stage
Modern road layouts transformed the chapel’s setting. A heritage trail for visitors notes that while the chapel now sits within a busy thoroughfare,
it was formerly positioned on the outskirts of Mosta.
4) The “last feast of the year”: 31 December
The feast of St Sylvester is celebrated on 31 December, widely known as St Sylvester’s Day in Western Christianity.
This date anchors the chapel’s identity and makes it distinctive among Malta’s small devotional sites.
Construction, architecture and art
Built in Maltese limestone
Like most 17th-century chapels in Malta, San Silvestru is built in local limestone, designed as a compact worship space with a modest façade and a simple,
functional plan suited to wayside devotion and small services.
Altarpiece: St Sylvester in glory
The chapel’s interior is noted for its altarpiece depicting St Sylvester, attributed to the Maltese Baroque artist
Stefano Erardi (1630–1716).
Restoration note (editorial): no single, widely cited “major restoration year” for San Silvestru appears in the public sources above; if you have parish minutes,
an Archdiocese note, or a restoration plaque on-site, you can add it to tighten this section.
Use today
Kappella San Silvestru remains part of Mosta’s living religious landscape. Parish listings associate the chapel with Sunday morning Mass and a special annual
celebration on 31 December.
Visiting tips
Navigation: use the pin 35.905572, 14.423363.
Best chance to find it open: around scheduled services (confirm locally).
Respect: modest dress and quiet behaviour are recommended.
