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Spooky Maltese Legends 1 - #The Zammitello Bride
Spooky Maltese Legends 1 - #The Zammitello Bride
Despite their minute size, the Maltese islands are home to a diverse range of folklore and tales, which are supplied for and upheld by a rich, cosmopolitan past that has left the Maltese islands with a commendable heritage.
One passes past a fortified villa that has been converted into a coffee shop as one travels from the lovely town of Mgarr towards Gnejna Bay. This house has a tale to tell. A rather spooky one. Inside of this structure, which many here refer to as a castle, formerly resided a wealthy count. He owned several lands across the island. This particular house was built in 1675, mimicking the Tower of London back when Malta was still under the role of Knights of St John.
He was left with a daughter after his wife passed away, whom he intended to marry away to a wealthy lord from the nearby island of Sicily. Despite her father’s desires, the daughter refused to get married to an older gentleman. Nonetheless, the count insisted on planning a wedding and decorating the palace. Because the count was anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom, the servants set up a large table in the courtyard of the castle and sewed a beautiful outfit for the daughter.
The entire population of Mgarr eagerly anticipated, waiting for the beautiful bride to make her way down the aisle. The count welcomed him when he got there. The young woman remained upstairs. The bridegroom had finally arrived, so the count despatched a servant to let the bride know of his arrival. To the servant’s surprise, the chamber was vacant.
The troops, together with the count and the nobility from Sicily, had already begun their supper. Upon this discovery, a search team was to be organised for the count’s daughter. He suspected that she had been abducted by pirates who had come ashore. Together with the servants, all of the troops departed the castle carrying torches in search of the bride. The nobleman had to leave alone after searching the entire palace and its surroundings in vain.
One day, three farmers were out in the fields working when they heard the ringing of the bells from the adjacent chapel. They approached the chapel and saw the entrance was open. They entered the building covertly. An image on the altar was emitting an intense glow. One of the farmers moved in its direction. He caught sight of a girl’s face This was the count’s daughter.
She instructed them to let her father know that she had passed away. She’d gotten away during the wedding meal. She had boarded an aircraft headed for Palestine and had joined the Christian army as a nurse. In one particular incident, she had been struck by a hard item while caring for a wounded soldier, passing away due to her injuries. She declared to them that she was now content to be with the Lord. Then the intense light dimmed and the picture started to disappear. The count was notified, and when he passed away, he was happy to reunite with his daughter.
In 1988, the same villa was the setting of an even eerier event, where Baron Francis Sant Cassia was shot and murdered at the age of 68. The murder remained unsolved for over thirty years. Now his shooter has been charged in court, but the true motive still remains a mystery, as the shooter was appointed by a secondary party.
