Xaghra

Nativity of Our Lady Parish Church

The patron Saint of Xaghara was at first St Anthony, then the dedication of the Parish Church was changed to Our Lady of Grace then to the Nativity of Our Lady. It is commonly known as Our Lady of Victory. Bishop Cocco-Palmeri established the parish on 28 April 1688 and the seat was originally the chapel of St.Anthony Abbot in the same village. In 1692 the people finished the building of the first Parish church. The altarpiece was brought from the Senglea parish in Malta, but in 1744 it was replaced by a painting by Carlo Dimech. The present church grew over and around the older building. The foundation stone of today's church was laid on 2nd October 1815 and the church was consecrated on 26 May 1878, raised to Arch-presbyteral status on the 11th March 1893 and to a Collegiate on the 17th March 1900. The title of Basilica was conferred on the parish church on the 26th August 1967. The church is clad in marble inside and has beautiful stained glass windows. 

Annunciation Ghajn Meddew

This chapel was built between 1608 and 1615 most probably in place of a chapel dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady, which in 1598 was in ruins. Inside, there was an oil on canvas altarpiece executed by an expert artist. The chapel was situated on private property and when the owners passed away, it was abandoned and its door had to be blocked with stone.

Annunciation Wied Sara

This chapel was in a relatively good condition. In 1629, the Archpriest of the 'matrice', Don Salvatore Pontremoli, took the chapel under his care and improved its condition further. On the feast-day, the celebrant was given a free dinner and a quantity of bread was distributed to the poor. In 1644, the chapel was already in ruins.

Assumption Ghajn Xejba

This chapel was one of the oldest Marian chapels on the island. At the beginning of the seventeenth century its Assumption altarpiece was painted directly on the back stone wall. It was in a rather ruinous condition between 1575 and 1615 but was eventually restored and another painting placed over the original. After some years it was abandoned again and it had almost fallen down by 1657.

Assumption Qasam tal-Gherien

Almost nothing is known about this chapel that used to exist at il-Qasam tal-Gherien, Xaghra.

Assumption chapels

Just below Zebbug, at the port of Marsalforn there existed two separate chapels of this dedication. One was in a dilapidated condition in 1598 and even though it possessed some property, nothing was done to save it from complete ruin. The other, on the left side of the harbour, was well looked after and Saturday devotions were held there. By 1630, it too had collapsed, however its memory survives in the name of the spot where it stood 'il-ponta ta' Santa Marija' which guards the entrance to Marsalforn Bay. 

Blessed Carlo Acutis

A perpetual adoration chapel dedicated to Blessed Carlo Acutis was recently inaugurated at the Xagħra Youth Centre. It was set up by the youths of the locality and blessed by Xagħra archpriest Mgr Carmelo Refalo.

Chapel

A chapel is mentioned existing in Marsalforn tower in Mons.Rull's 1762 report. 

Chapel

Built by the male members of the group MUSEUM founded by St.George Preca, this chapel is part of the premises. 

Christ Redeemer in-Nazzarenu

Built after the 1814 plague to cater for the rapid population increase in the area.

Our Lady of Joys or The Seven Joys of Mary at Ramla

Popularly known as tal-Gajdoru, a corruption of the Latin Gaudiorum, it was in fact the only one with that title in the Maltese Archipelago. The first Augustinian friars in Gozo probably founded the chapel in 1453. They soon left, the place being too close to the coast and established themselves elsewhere. The chapel however was not abandoned for devotees continued to look after its needs. Someone had even bequeathed property for the solemnization of the feast-day, celebrated on the occasion of the Assumption. In 1575, Mons.Dusina found the chapel in a very poor condition but it was restored in 1608 and a stucco on wood panel portraying Our Lady of Joys hung on the altar. By 1615, the original altarpiece was replaced by an exceptionally beautiful oil on canvas painting representing the Assumption. The celebration of the feast-day had by then become very popular and so as not to coincide with the one at the 'matrice', as from 1635 it was celebrated on August 5. The chapel was at its best the following decade but then interest began to decline again. It was deconsecrated in 1657 but its nickname remains with the location which it once dominated.

St.Anthony Abbott

This is one of the oldest churches in Gozo reported already existing in 1400. (In a very old notarial document of 1431, rescued from going to the dump, there is a copy of a will drawn up by Nuccio Chamoe in the acts of Angelo de Manuele copied by Lorenzo de Apapis. It relates to funds left for the chapel of St Anthony in the locality then known as 'Hain Xeibe'. This will also contained provisions for establishing a feast for the poor in the environs of the chapel. Ghajn Xejbe is the area of Gnien Imrik in Xaghara so most probably this mention is about the first chapel built there dedicated to St Anthony Abbott.) Rebuilt in 1601, it includes an adjacent cemetery and parvis. It subsequently became the first parish church of Xaghra on 28th April 1688 and continued to serve as such until 1692. After the plague of 1814, which took 104 victims, certain articles within the church were incinerated in order to disinfect the place. Dun Salv Bondi painted the present altarpiece, depicting St.Anthony with the people of Xaghra living under tents during the plague in 1816. The church suffered damage during WWII and was repaired and re-consecrated in 1947 by Bishop Giuseppe Pace after a new facade was built. The foundations of the first church can still be distinguished. Lately, its original vaulted ceiling was restored.

St.Blaise Marsalforn

In a tower built by the Knights nowadays dismantled, there was a chapel dedicated to St Blaise.

St.Paul Shipwrecked Marsalforn

St.Paul was shipwrecked in Malta, but tradition maintained that it was from here that he embarked for Rome. The church, originally built in the 14th century, has been rebuilt and enlarged many times once in 1641 and restored in 1663. In 1715 a small fort with a moat and drawbridge was built around it for security from Corsairs. The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1730, and then the church was repaired and enlarged in 1878. After being enlarged in recent decades by roofing over a yard, plans for the building of a new church were underway. The feast is celebrated on the 10th February. It was dedicated in 1939.

Sta Venera

The land of Santa Venera is obviously connected with the saint bearing the same name. In fact, it is thought that there was once a chapel in the area dedicated to her, which was commissioned by Ugolino Novarra in 1265. It was built on the same land known for the prehistoric megalithic temple of Verna. One may conjecture of a continuation or of a takeover from the fertility cult to the Christian religion.

Visitation Ghajn Hozna

This chapel flourished especially during the sixteenth century. Amounts of wheat bread and wine were distributed to the faithful on the feast-day. During the seventeenth century, when its founder Federico Pontremoli had passed away, the chapel was abandoned and it soon became a heap of ruins.