Old Prison

Region	Gozo
Building type	Historical Structure
Address	Old Prison, Pjazza Katidral, Victoria (Rabat), Malta
Located Graffiti	Anthropomorphic, Apotropaic Symbols, Dates, Names or Initials, Numbers, Religious Iconography, Ship Graffiti, Text

This historic site is located within the Citadel walls, in close proximity to the Cathedral of the Assumption. This location has a long history serving as a prison from the mid-16th century up until 1962. Although found in abundance here, ship graffiti only forms part of the large repertoire of etched depictions.

Gallery

A strange representation of a two-masted ship. The rigging is lateen, however the sails are absent. A series of dots and lines give the ship’s hull a fuller appearance. Two flags are depicted at the masts and one at the stern.

A two-masted ship with a series of dots likely signifying cannon ports. The graffito is hardly visible and is superimposed by other etchings.

A ship depiction with a raked bow and stern. Two masts are visible together with a mizzen. Dots serve as hull decoration.

Two ships are visible. The larger ship is an inaccurate depiction showing multiple masts carrying sails. The hull is tall and decorated with line etchings. A ladder is present at the stern and a Union Jack is seen at the bow, indicating that the graffito dates to the 19th century. A smaller seacraft showing a sprit sail rig and a beak at the bow has been etched to the left. This seacraft is traditional in nature, likely a xprunara.

A set of anthropomorphic etchings representing eight persons. One of which is standing on a seacraft decorated with dots along the hull. Another ship might be present in the top right corner, however, this is difficult to ascertain.

Old Prison

Gallery

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