25/07/2025
Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden Din l-Art Helwa is hosting guided tours on the first Saturday of the month till September. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend and I'm here to share some information and my experience mainly because I truly believe the place deserves more recognition than it already has.
The earliest monument at the cemetery dates to 1806 when the British needed a place to lay their dead. The estimated number of people buried here ranges from 850 to almost 900 but only around 530 have been discovered to date. Most of the monuments belong to British military, navy personnel, officials and their families. A few years late, when Ta’ Braxia Cemetery (a part of and next to ARMS in Blata l-Bajda) opened, the burials continued there because it held more graves.
A large number of victims died in their 20s. It was a common age due to lack of hygiene and medicine was not yet available - penicillin was found later and infected wounds were a dead sentence. However, that is not the only cause of death for these residents.
In 1930, Capt Charles Zammit (son of Sir Temi Zammit) found this gravesite heavily abandoned, vandalised and later it was also hit during the war. The team (of staff and volunteers), works tirelessly to look after the cemetery after years of neglect. During this tour, you get to hear about the lives of the deceased. You learn about the symbols found on the monuments and it is an opportunity to appreciate how they are putting the puzzle (literally, piece by piece) together for the on-going restoration process.
That's all from me because if you're interested, I don't want to spoil your fun - I will leave the details to Paolo because he's the expert here 😉
Follow the Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden Din l-Art Helwa Page for more information and to book your spot!
