Just above the entrance door to Dwardu’s hair saloon, at the first part of Triq Santa Marija, one finds this impressive street shrine dedicated to the The Assumption or St. Mary as is commonly known.
Could it be that this street was named after this niche, or is it more realistic that it was named after the chapel dedicated to St. Mary found further up the same street? The latter suggestion is more realistic, then one could say that the niche was done after the naming of the street.
The statue of Our Lady is artistically of good quality and the niche itself is architecturally very interesting. It is built in Baroque style with the miniature pilasters finished in the Ionic Order.
The indulgence plaque found beneath the niche is written in Italian and the indulgences were given by Monsingior Sant on the 29th October 1857.
AQUISTA L’INDULGENZA
DI GIORNI 40 CHI RECITA
UNA SALVE REGINA
INNANZI
QUESTA IMAGINE
SACROSANTA
CONCESSA DA MR. SANT
li 29 Obre 1857
The niche up to some years ago was painted in white colour and the statue was in polychromy. All the paint and colour was stripped down when the niche was restored and through such stripping any possible original polychromy has been completely lost.
Of a major eyesore are the bunch of cables passing haphazardly over the indulgence plaque beneath the niche.
Wirt iż-Żejtun 