It was on the 12th March 1969, that a very interesting discovery was made in the old parish church of St Catherine in Żejtun. This discovery raised a lot of questions which have remained unanswered till today – 50 years later.
For several years, the elders narrated that around the dome of the old parish of Żejtun, there were a number of secret passages in which a group of people who were killed during a Turkish attack, were buried. This secret passage was only discovered in 1969, enhancing further the myth passed orally from past generations.
This discovery was only reported on The Times of Malta more than a month later in a small report accompanied by a photograph showing John M Debono, the sacristan, holding a human skull in his hand and surrounded with human bones on the floor.
To commemorate this discovery, Wirt iż-Żejtun in collaboration with Heritage Malta and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage embarked on a project funded through the Small Initiatives Scheme of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, to scientifically study the human bones which were discovered. We hope that through this study,we will arrive at a date when these people lived.
Wirt iż-Żejtun 