A Gozitan village rich in churches, surrounded by hills and nestled between valleys.
Words by Daniel Cilia
The village of Għarb lies at the westernmost tip of Gozo fittingly, as the name, first recorded in 1487, means ‘of the west’ in Arabic. It is about 3km from Victoria, the island’s capital, and is composed of several distinct areas connected by a main road, which first divides at a locality known as L-Ixtabi (the gates), once the traditional entrance to the village.
A side road from L-Ixtabi leads to the Ta’ Pinu Shrine and Ta’ Għammar Hill, while the main road continues to a junction called Il-Fgura. From here, one road leads to San Lawrenz and Dwejra Bay – both formerly part of Għarb. Further along the road lies Il-Wilġa, a recently developed area whose name refers to plains, or terraced hillsides.
The main square of Għarb has retained much of its original character since its construction three centuries ago. To the right of the parish church isa junction known locally as Fuq il-Blata (on the rock), while another nearby crossroad is called Tat-Trux (of the deaf). From here, the road descends to Tal-Qirt, leading to Il-Pirwilin, an area known for its high-quality Globigerina Limestone used in traditional Maltese construction. A slope on the left side of the main square leads to another junction and eventually to a small square named Santu Pietru (St Peter). Continuing from there, one arrives at Birbuba, from which a road leads to Kap San Dimitri. The old paths, rubble walls and large stone works near San Dimitri suggest the existence of a former hamlet.
Għarb is surrounded by hills – Ta’ Kanġla, Ta’ Ġurdan, Ta’ Għammar, Ta’ Dbieġi and Il-Mixta – and is nestled between several valleys, the most notable being Wied il-Mielaħ, home to the dramatic natural arch known as It-Tieqa ta’ Wied il-Mielaħ.
Għarb is a village rich in churches, starting from Tal-Virtù, now known as Taż-Żejt, which was built in 1675 on the site of a medieval church in the village’s west and serving as the original parish church.
In 1698, the villagers petitioned Grand Master Ramon Perellos for land to build a larger church. The chosen site, Ta’ Nawrata, lay over a kilometre east from the original parish church, in a sparsely populated but elevated location that overlooked the village.
Completed in 1731, this baroque church became the new parish centre. On 28th November, 1967, Pope Paul VI elevated it to the status of a minor basilica, now officially the Basilica of the Visitation. Another well-known church is the medieval San Dimitri, standing in solitude in the midst of the countryside to the north of the village. It is linked to a legend about a woman whose son was miraculously rescued from slavery by the saint during the time when Malta was under the rule of the Order of St John. The present church was rebuilt in 1736, replacing an earlier structure.
The most renowned of Għarb’s churches is the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu. It was originally a small medieval church. On 22nd June, 1883, a local woman, Karmni Grima, reported hearing the Virgin Mary speak to her from inside the small church. As devotion to the Virgin deepened, and after Karmni’s sacred vision of a majestic church, where Mary, radiant in divine light, blessed a newly wedded couple, the faithful raised a splendid sanctuary in the serene heart of Wied il-Għammar. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri on 30th May, 1920, and the new Neo-Romanesque basilica was completed by 13th December, 1931. The following year, it was declared a minor basilica, and the old church remains intact behind the main altar.
The basilica’s interior features intricate local limestone carvings, stained glass and mosaics. Its 61-metre bell tower is a defining feature of Għarb’s countryside. Two Popes, St John Paul II and Francis I, have visited and prayed at Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, while the miraculous painting of Ta’ Pinu was brought to the Mass on the Granaries in Floriana, celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.
Għarb’s summer Feast of the Visitation on 6th July remains a major cultural event, with a religious procession, band marches, fireworks and the now iconic infjorata a floral carpet laid on the basilica’s parvis for the statue to pass over.
The village also hosts a rich calendar of cultural events, including the International Puppet Festival (26th - 28th September), the Kite and Wind Festival (18th - 19th October), the Cultural Weekend (21st - 23rd November), which includes the Herbs Festival, opera and music. These are organised by the Għarb local council with the help of the Għaqda Mużikali Viżitazzjoni the local brass band club.
PASSAGGI RECOUNTS
San Dimitri One of Gozo’s most cherished legends is woven around the Church of San Dimitri near Għarb. Long ago, an old woman named Żgugina lived nearby with her only son, Mattew. When pirates stormed the coast and took him captive, she fled to the church and poured out her sorrow before the saint’s image. Touched by her faith, San Dimitri is said to have galloped out of the painting, ridden across the sea, and returned with her son safe behind him.
He then vanished once more into the painting, leaving a mark of his horse’s hoof in the road next to the church. In gratitude, Żgugina kept a lamp burning day and night. Some say that after an earthquake cast the church into the sea, fishermen still glimpsed her lamp flickering in the deep.
