Old Prison

Where

Old Prison View map

The oldest surviving prison in Gozo still reverberates with the memories of its numerous inmates who left their mark on the aged walls of its cells and corridors. Presenting the largest known collection of historical graffiti in one single place on the Maltese Islands, this site provides a glimpse of the conditions in which inmates were kept at the time.

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Description

The oldest surviving prison in Gozo still reverberates with the memories of its numerous inmates who left their mark on the aged walls of its cells and corridors. Presenting the largest known collection of historical graffiti in one single place on the Maltese Islands, this site provides a glimpse of the conditions in which inmates were kept at the time.

It is situated at the Citadel in Victoria, Gozo, standing adjacent to the Courts of Justice, to which it was originally connected. In its present form, the prison complex is divided into two sections; an entrance hall which originally served as a common cell in the 19th century and now hosts a selection of graffiti casts, a 16th century carrack graffito, some prison-related objects (including the surviving part of a wooden stocks), and a merchandise section, and a free-standing block with six individual cells.

Soon after their arrival in Malta, the Knights of St John used this prison to intern their rowdy and disruptive members. The list of notorious inmates includes Fra Jean Parisot de La Valette (later, Grand Master of Malta) who, in 1538, spent four months in this prison after attacking a man.

Having undergone a number of structural modifications, this prison was in use from the mid-16th century until the beginning of the 20th century. From the mid-19th century, it functioned simultaneously with another building that was located on the other side of the Citadel. While the old prison served to house those individuals awaiting trial, the other property was used as the new prison. The latter continued to operate as a prison until it closed down in 1962.

The graffiti are certainly the highlight of this site. They include mainly sea vessels and date to different periods. However, visitors may also note marks of palm-prints, crosses, names, dates, games, and anthropomorphic figures. Some inmates also appear to have scratched a record of their length of stay behind bars.

Other Heritage Malta sites in the vicinity: Gozo Museum of ArchaeologyGran Castello Historic House and the Gozo Nature Museum

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ShowsHappening Terms and Conditions

  • No refund on tickets will be made under any circumstances unless otherwise instructed by the event organiser. In the case of a refund being issued for tickets bought, refund will be issued on the Ticket face value, and ShowsHappening booking fee will NOT be refunded.
  • Venue Owner reserves the right without refund or compensation to refuse admission to any persons whose conduct is disorderly or unbecoming.
  • The Promoter may add, withdraw or substitute artistes and/or vary advertised programmes, event times, seating arrangements and audience capacity without prior notice.
  • The Promoter/Venue Owner may postpone, cancel,interrupt or stop the event due to adverse weather, dangerous situations, or any other causes beyond his reasonable control.
  • Information is collected from those registering with www.showshappening.com in order to facilitate ticket purchase or other services available. This information is collected and used in accordance with ShowsHappening's Privacy Policy, which forms part of these conditions.
  • In the event of an event being cancelled, postponed or unsatisfactory, or in the event that Buyer is not allowed to watch the event for any reason, SHOWSHAPPENING cannot be held responsible for any liability including any costs whatsoever incurred by the Buyer in connection with the said event.
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