The church is dedicated to St. Mary of August. The Church of
Bir Miftuħ (a literal translation is “open well,” but here probably means “gushing spring”) is very old. Indeed, it was built over 600 years ago. In 1436, an ecclesiastical report on the Maltese Islands (known as the
Rollo), mentioned the 10 old parishes found in Malta and Gozo at that time -- one of them was the Parish of
Bir Miftuħ. The church itself is situated in an olive grove. As it lies opposite Malta International Airport, it is one of the first interesting sites that visitors notice the minute they land in our country. The
Bir Miftuħ church is a fine example of medieval architecture, simple in construction with no elaboration, neither on the exterior walls nor on the interior ones. During extensive restoration works carried out a few years ago, many interesting historical artifacts were unearthed. These increased the historical and architectural significance of the old Church.
[summarized and translated from
Kappelli Maltin (Maltese Chapels) website]