Today I decided to go and explore the Selmun area. The weather in Malta has started to become a bit cooler now but most of the time days are still sunny so it's very nice to go on country walks at this time of year.
Plus my boss has been telling me that I need to exercise more (yes exercise is good for everyone, even little green teddy bears). Plenty of country walks around that area so it should do the trick. Must keep my boss happy :)
To get to this lovely remote area you have to take the bus to Mellieha. The bus stops a few minutes away. After about half an hour of walking I came across a charming little chapel. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Ransom. It was closed when I passed by so I have no idea how the interior looks like. It’s probably just open on Sundays.
It's so quiet and peaceful here. I really envy the people who live in this area!
After taking some photos of the chapel I continued walking.
And suddenly there it was … the Selmun Palace in its full glory. What a remarkable sight! Because I’m um so hard working, I decided to do some research for you on this palace. [Editor: Hmmm]
Turns out the palace was not built to protect the Maltese islands like the many other towers that you can see all across the islands. This palace was built to be used as a summer residence by the wealthy noblemen of the time.
The palace was built in the 18th century and it looks a lot like the Verdala Palace which is located in Buskett, Malta.
The design of the palace was made by a Maltese architect called Domenico Cachia. Originally the palace had a small chapel which hosted a painting from Antoine de Favray.
De Favray was a french painter well known for portraits of personalities of the Ottoman Empire and the many Grand Masters who ruled Malta during the Knights of St John period.
A few metres away a new chapel was built (this is the chapel that I referred to earlier) and the painting by De Favray is now on display in this new chapel.
Over the centuries, various noble people lived in the palace. Today the palace is vacant.
In the 60’s a hotel was built near it. The hotel is still there to this day so if you fancy staying in an isolated and remote part of the Maltese islands, the Selmun Palace Hotel could be just the thing for you!
If you’re interested, you can browse photos of the hotel and check availability and pricing by using our search box below …
