Malta’s Notarial Archives store a treasure trove of information and history about Malta and its people.
Sarah Carabott met up with the women who, led by Joan Abela who became known as Joan of Arc(hives), have made it their mission to save the archives.
Joan Abela
Joan Abela
It all started in 2002, when Joan, then an undergrad student, stepped into the decaying building on St Christopher Street in Valletta. When she inhaled the smell of mould and saw the desperate state of thousands of notarial volumes covered with layers of dust, she knew she had a mission to accomplish.