Explore Gozo

Our Lady of Lourdes

The chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes is situated on a promontory overlooking Mgarr Harbour. It enjoys spectacular views of the the harbour, the Gozo Channel and the Island of Malta. It can be easily reached on foot from the harbour itself or from Ghajnsielem.

A statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes sculpted by Antonio Busuttil was placed in a natural cavity beneath the promontory on 25th March 1879. It was blessed by Bishop Pietro Pace on 3rd June 1888. On that occasion the Bishop urged devotees to help him raise a chapel.

Inside, the chapel has a ribbed, Gothic vaulted roof, and is dominated by a statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes. This statue was sculpted by Carlo Darmanin and donated by Karolina Mamo-Bruno on 17th September 1893. The feast is celebrated on the 11th February, the date of the first apparition of Lourdes. Throughout the feast many people from all over the Island flock to the chapel to hear mass and pray.

Immaculate Conception

This Chapel which is situated in Qala on your way to Hondaq ir-Rummien, is one of the earliest Marian shrines on the island and dates back to 1575. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The feast is celebrated on the 8th December and the statue was sculptured in Marseilles by Gallard et Fils in 1887.

Between 1982 and 1988 the inside was gilded and refurbished.The main attraction is the altarpiece, attributed to Federico Barocci di Urbino. It shows God extending his special protection to the Immaculate Conception.The Virgin Mary was crowned on 1st August 1954.

St. Anne

The chapel at Dwejra was to last to be built in the countryside in Gozo. It was designed by Joseph Mizzi from San Lawrenz and cost Lm1,350. The chapel was blessed on 25th July 1963.

The facade is articulated by a reinforced concrete cantilever carrying a cross that rests on two coloumns and provides a covered entrance. It is crowned by a centrally placed bell-cot. The modern style is also evident in the interior of the chapel which consists of a rectangular room with a flat textured roof. Recesses are used to articulate the walls internally and externally.

The main altar piece depicts the young Virgin Mary being instructed by her mother St. Anne. This was painted by Ninu Apap in 1989. A statue of St. Anne sculpted by Michael Camilleri Cauchi in 1982 also adorns the chapel. The feast of St. Anne is celebrated on the 26th of July.

St. Joseph

This chapel is dedicated to St. Joseph and is located in Triq San Guzepp within the Citadel. It was built during the munificence of Bishop Baldassare Cagliares (1615-1633) in 1625 and according to historians it was built on the site of another chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari. It is interesting to note that in his report of the Apostolic Visitation in 1575 Pietro Dusina wrote that, "people flocked to that chapel with utmost devotion."

The chapel has a simple facade with a typical round window and an arched ceiling. Bishop Cagliares, who also built Palazzo Cagliares, adorned the chapel with a beautiful altarpiece representing the flight of Saint Joseph to Egypt. This work is attributed to Filippo Paladino, a late Mannerist artist. However the painting we now see inside the chapel is a copy made in 1980. The original is housed in the Cathedral Museum.

The main altar piece depicts the young Virgin Mary being instructed by her mother St. Anne. This was painted by Ninu Apap in 1989. A statue of St. Anne sculpted by Michael Camilleri Cauchi in 1982 also adorns the chapel. The feast of St. Anne is celebrated on the 26th of July.

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