In 1837 some 855 Cholera victims who died in Fort Ricasoli were buried in a hastily constructed cemetery at Wied Għammieq. In 1878 the cemetery was given a facelift and the scattered remains of those were exhumed and reburied in a central site beneath a monument that was specifically set up for the purpose. The cemetery’s chapel, designed by Chev Vincenzo Bonello, eventually became a centre of devotion for the departed souls.