The apparition of the Black Knight, who seemed to spring out of nowhere, occurred during the years immediately following World War I, and was spotted by both Maltese and Englishmen working near a heap of rubble as part of the restoration of the island. Fort Manoel was a man-of-war and part of the reconstruction work being carried there at the time was to give back some sense of doécor to the chapel.
Dressed in full armour and regalia of the Order of St John, the knight would be seen supervising the men’s work and his apparitions became more frequent once work there became more regular. The workmen also noticed the similarity between the Black Knight and a portrait of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena himself by Favray which still hangs in the President’s Palace in Valletta.
When a crypt beneath the chapel was opened with the permission of the Archbishop, Captain Brockman, who was leading the work, found it had been destroyed by vandals. The altar and the reliefs bearing the crucifix and the souls in purgatory were all wrecked.
When the crypt was restored and masses were said, the knight stopped appearing. However, he came back. When investigations were once again carried out it was discovered that the crypt had been abandoned, only to be vandalised again. This was in 1980.
YOU ARE READING
the ghosts of Malta
Horrorin Malta we have lots of ghosts stories. Some of these stories I brought them from my friends or from books. But there are lot of my experience.
