The Story Behind “Prison Street” In Naxxar

“Prison Street” in Naxxar takes its name from a remarkable eighteenth-century prison, one that stood out as an exception to the norm of its time.

Unlike most prisons, which were located within the walled cities such as Valletta and the Three Cities, this particular prison was established in a rural village setting, making it unique in Malta’s penal history.

Even more unusual was its structure. Rather than cells or large communal halls, it consisted of several adjoining houses.

Those who ended up here were rarely hardened criminals. In fact, many were ordinary townspeople who had been condemned for relatively minor offences, most commonly unpaid debts.

Instead of being locked away behind heavy iron bars, these individuals were subjected to a type of house arrest, serving their sentences while still living alongside their families.

This approach reflected a more domestic, almost community-oriented form of punishment, very different from the stricter incarceration systems elsewhere in Europe at the time.

Prisons in eighteenth-century Malta were often overcrowded and harsh, with conditions that reflected both the island’s limited resources and the punitive attitudes of the era.

The Naxxar prison, however, reveals another side to this history; one that blended discipline with a degree of humanity, allowing families to remain together during difficult times.

Today, at the end of Prison Street, a small niche with a statue of the Assumption still overlooks the road, quietly preserving the memory of this unusual chapter in Malta’s social and architectural heritage.

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Photo Credit: DOI Alan Saliba