About Ristorante Cosmana Navarra

Cosmana, born in the village of Rabat in the 1600s, was the fourth sibling of Dr. Giovanni Cumbo, son of Gakbu, and Cornelia Navarra, daughter of Pawlu. On the 22nd June 1625, she married Lorenzo Cassar from Imdina. Although her maiden surname was Cumbo, and her surname in marriage was Cassar, through historic records it is known that she always went by her mother’s surname, Navarra. Through their marriage, Lorenzo and Cosmana had no children.

Cosmana died at the age of 87, on the 30th January 1687, after she had successfully seen through the building of the Rabat parish church, dedicated to St. Paul, which project was completed in four years. Cosmana is buried in the small chapel within the Rabat parish church, dedicated to San Anton.

In the Rabat parish church, one finds two paintings depicting Cosmana Navarra. One of the paintings depicts Cosmana standing next to her house in Rabat, opposite the Church. In this painting the church and the “zuntier”, two of Cosmana’s projects are shown to be fully completed. In her hands, Cosmana holds the architectural plan of the church, therefore it seems that this image was painted with the intention of representing Cosmana as the foundress of the Church of St. Paul.

The other painting, dating back to 1735 is the work of Gannikol Buhagiar and is found in the sacristy, on the wall of the same chapel of San Anton.

Cosmana’s coat of arms can be seen in various places within St. Paul Parish Church, on her tombstone, on the two paintings and also on the many silver artifacts she handed out.