Xaghra rises on a hill in the central north-east of Gozo. Its name is Maltese for a wilderness, refering to the state of the hill before it was inhabited. The village is known world-wide because of the Ggantija Temples, the construction of which began some 5,600 years ago. About half a kilometre to the north of the Temples, on Triq il-Qacca, there is the Gozo Stone Circle, the underground cemetry of the Temple builders. The legendary Calypso cave is on the outskirts of this village.Work out when and for how long to visit Xaghra Parish Church and other Xaghra attractions using our handy Xaghra road trip site.
Xaghra has a beautiful parish church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, locally known as Il-Vitorja, the Blessed Virgin Mary of Victories, as it was on 8 September 1565, Mary’s birthday, that the Knights and the Maltese succeeded to overcome a much larger Turkish army and to free Malta and southern Europe from the Islamic onslaughter.
The parish of Xaghra was established by Bishop Cocco-Palmeri on 28 April 1688. The parish was originally sited in the chapel of Saint Antony Abbot in the same village. The present church, like many others, grew over and around an older building first recorded late in the seventeenth century. The foundation stone of the present structure was laid on 2 October 1815. It was consecrated on 26 May 1878 and was raised to Archipresbyteral status on 11 March 1893. The fourth Collegiate of Gozo was established at Xaghra on 17 March 1900. The title of Basilica was conferred on the parish on 26 August 1967.
The church is covered with marble throughout, but its main attraction is a beautiful statue of the young Virgin Mary, il-Bambina, brought from Marseilles in 1878.
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Xaghra Parish Church reviews
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As well as with most of the churches in Malta and Gozo, it might be almost impossible to visit outside the service times. Beautiful interior with marble. more »
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Xaghra is not a large village, yet, to have a Parish Church so rich in treasures, makes this place unique. But what is really unique is not the amount of gold and silver that is found in usually all..... more »
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Thankful the parish offers a mass in English for immigrants and travelers. If you agree looking for the English mass, the entrance is in the rear of the church on the left side of the church. (Right side if you are looking at it from the front) The locals will point you in the right directions.
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What I love about this place is the pjazza in front of the church. Lovely atmosphere. Plenty of good restaurants where one can eat outside during the summer months
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