Malta’s legendary Marian icons: A legacy of faith

Biblical narratives are sparse in their descriptions of characters’ appearances. The Bible does not describe the physical features of figures such as Moses or David, and even in the New Testament there is little information on the appearance of Jesus or the apostles. Artists therefore relied on the conventions of their time to portray these figures, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. One tradition holds that Luke, the author of one of the Gospels, was also an exceptional painter who created the first portrait of Mary. Eastern churches honor him as the original iconographer, credited with the first icon of the Blessed Virgin. Luke was also Paul’s companion during his journeys around the Mediterranean.

In the year 60, Paul was shipwrecked off the northwestern coast of Malta and spent the winter there. Luke recounts this story in Acts 28, describing how the islanders showed unusual kindness to Paul and his companions, and how Paul healed Publius’s father and many others. Since then, the Maltese have remained among the most passionate Catholics in the world. With an uninterrupted two-millennia-long tradition of rich Christian heritage, it is no surprise that Malta has more than one church per square kilometer. Some of them are home to exceptional Marian icons and images—whether allegedly painted by Luke or not. And although historians have debunked this claim, what is important is that these miraculous images point to one of the oldest Marian traditions in the Mediterranean. Here we present a collection of the legendary, miraculous Marian icons and images of Malta.

According to tradition, the titular painting of the National Marian Shrine of Malta was painted directly on the rock by Luke in the year 60, when he reached Malta with St. Paul. Recent assessments by art historians indicate that the present version of the icon dates to the 12th or 13th century, displaying typical features of Byzantine iconography. The Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted as a majestic figure, wearing royal purple and looking directly at the viewer. A flower on her forehead symbolizes her virginity, while her finger points to the Christ Child as the source of salvation. This arrangement, known as the Hodegetria—“She who shows the way”—was typical of Byzantine Marian icons during the 11th and 12th centuries. 

The icon has attracted pilgrims from all over the world, including Pope John Paul II, who prayed before it in 1990. Alongside twenty other Marian shrines, the Mellieħa National Shrine is part of the European Marian Network. Christian practice at this site likely predates the 13th-century icon: tradition confirms that as early in 409, several Catholic bishops consecrated the grotto as a church, close to the Council of Ephesus of 431 when the Blessed Virgin was universally recognized as Theotokos. Recent restoration works indicate that the present icon is not the first image of the Virgin in this sacred place.

An underground grotto forms part of the complex of the Mellieħa National Shrine. The chapel was hewn out of hard limestone in 1644, thanks to a Sicilian devotee of Our Lady, Mario de Vasi, who was a regular visitor to the Sanctuary. He also completed a white statue of Our Lady holding the Holy Infant on her left arm at the far end of the chapel. Over the years, thousands of pilgrims have visited the underground chapel and prayed before the Madonna, attributing to her many miraculous interventions. Events recorded in 1887, 1888, and 1948 are particularly famous: on different dates, various groups gathered to pray and beheld the white statue of Our Lady repeatedly moving her right hand, making the Sign of the Cross. The Sanctuary Archives contain 13 separate documents, signed under oath, recording these events in detail.

The Marian Shrine of Ta' Pinu in Gozo is an exceptional site—not only for its calm, majestic architecture, but mainly for the miraculous events associated with it. Originally a small chapel dedicated to the Assumption, it was later named Ta’ Pinu after Pinu Gauci, the procurator of the church in 1598. The chapel became famous in 1883 when Karmni Grima, a pious woman from Għarb, heard a mysterious voice calling her three times. She was led to the chapel, where the voice instructed her to recite three Hail Marys. She kept this secret for two years until she shared it with Franġisk Portelli, who had a similar divine encounter. His mother’s miraculous healing further solidified the chapel’s reputation.

The image of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, central to these events, depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary radiating serenity and compassion. Pilgrims flock to the shrine, as evidenced by the numerous ex-votos adorning its walls. The shrine is known as the “Church of Miracles,” serving as a beacon of faith where devotees seek comfort, healing, and blessings. The image of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, prominently displayed in the original chapel behind the main altar, continues to be the focal point of prayer and devotion.

The icon depicting the Virgin with the Christ Child, housed at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Paul in the old Maltese capital of Mdina, was once also believed to have been the work of St. Luke. Art historians now agree that it dates to the late Middle Ages. Its presence at the Cathedral can be traced to at least 1588. This icon played a crucial role for local believers, being carried annually during the procession held in Mdina in thanksgiving for the Great Siege victory. In 1604, Bishop Gargallo placed it on the main altar of the Cathedral, covering it with a silver lamina that left only the faces of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus visible.

Mdina was founded as Maleth by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC and later renamed Melitæ by the Romans. Tradition claims the cathedral is built on the very spot where the Roman Governor Publius met St. Paul right after his shipwreck (Acts 28)—and archaeologists have indeed found Roman remains in the crypt. The present Baroque cathedral, built between the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century, replaced the old one severely damaged by an earthquake in 1693. This precious icon retained its prominent position in the new cathedral, placed on the altar of the Blessed Sacrament chapel, where it has remained ever since. In 1898, Pope Leo XIII authorized the official coronation of the “St. Luke Madonna.”

The 11th-century icon of “Our Lady of Damascus” (Damaskinì—known as the Damaxxen in Malta) and the 13th-century icon of “Our Lady of Mercy” (Eleimonitria) were taken to Malta by Christian refugees escaping Rhodes following Islamic invasions. These icons found refuge in the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church of Our Lady of Damascus. Both display a color scheme typical of Syrian icons—gold and dark purple—and depict the Blessed Virgin Mary looking straight into the viewer’s eyes while holding the Christ Child in her left arm, in typical Byzantine fashion.

When the Turks besieged Rhodes in 1522, the two icons were taken to the church of St. Demetrius within the city walls for safety. The Knights of St. John and the Maltese population held these icons in great veneration. Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette was a fervent devotee and prayed regularly before the Damascene icon, especially during the Great Siege of 1565. When the siege was lifted, de la Valette prayed before the icon and presented his hat and sword as a votive offering of gratitude. These items still hang in the museum of the Birgu parish. A Greek Catholic church in Valletta was completed in 1580, and in 1587 the Damascene icon was transferred with great ceremony from Vittoriosa to its new home in Valletta.

St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta houses the Chapel of the Madonna of Philermos—also known as Panagia Filevremou, the Blessed Virgin of Philermos, or the Black Madonna of Malta. This chapel was built specifically to house the icon of the Madonna of Philermos, taken to Malta by the Order of St. John after being expelled from Rhodes. The Knights had venerated this icon since their settlement in Rhodes in 1307 and considered it miraculous. When Malta was occupied by Napoleon in 1798, the Panagia Filevremou followed Grand Master Hompesch into exile.

Today, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament houses another glorious icon: the silver-clad Caraffa Madonna, carried in procession annually on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. After the Madonna of Philermos was taken away in 1798, the Caraffa Madonna was relocated to the Chapel of the Madonna of Philermos. The icon of Philermos eventually passed to Czar Paul I of Russia; during the Russian Revolution of 1917 it was taken out of Russia and given to the Czarina Maria Feodorovna, and after further vicissitudes it was entrusted to King Alexander of Yugoslavia. Today it is kept in the National Museum of Montenegro.

In Valletta, the Church of Our Lady of Victory houses a Byzantine icon of unknown origin. Tradition suggests that Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601–1622) donated this icon to the church. The icon features a delicately painted copper face and a finely engraved silver riza. The church, built in 1567 as a thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for her aid during the Great Siege of 1565, was constructed on the site where the foundation stone of Valletta was laid on March 28, 1566, and initially served as the first place of worship for the Knights of St. John. Grand Master de la Valette, who financed the church’s construction, was originally buried here, his remains later transferred to the crypt of what is now St. John’s Co-Cathedral. In 1716, Maltese artist Alessio Erardi painted the vaulted ceilings with magnificent scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is another beloved devotion in the Maltese Islands. Central to this tradition is a unique titular painting that portrays the Virgin Mary bestowing the brown scapular on St. Simon Stock and comforting the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The image underscores the theological message that Jesus grants graces through his Mother, emphasizing Mary’s intercessory role. The painting also depicts the 3rd-century martyr St. Agatha, a patroness of the Maltese Islands. Brought from Sicily, this painting is an integral part of the Carmelite tradition in Malta.

The Carmelites arrived from Sicily in 1418 and built their first church in Valletta in 1586. This church became the principal Marian shrine after being rebuilt as a monumental basilica following its destruction during the Second World War. Crowned by the Vatican Chapter in 1881—the first painting in the Maltese Islands to receive such an honor—it features the Virgin Mary seated on a royal throne with the Christ Child. The image is surrounded by rich symbolic elements: Mary’s throne is reminiscent of the cloud of Elijah’s vision, with a crescent moon under her feet, presenting her as the New Woman of the Apocalypse. Two angels crown her, illustrating her status as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

In the village of Lija stands an ancient Marian shrine known as Our Lady of Miracles. The present church, built in 1664, is not the original one where the devotion first began—it is located about 100 meters from where the old chapel once stood. The original chapel had a triptych Sicilian-style painting, painted on wood and attributed to the 13th-century Sicilian artist Corso di Buono. The painting depicts the Madonna seated on a throne, holding the Infant Jesus on her lap. When the new church was built, Grand Master Nicola Cotoner commissioned the great baroque artist Mattia Preti to paint the present titular altarpiece—adding the Archangel Raphael in memory of Cotoner’s recently deceased brother, Raffael.

The triptych is connected to a miraculous event that cemented the already existing devotion to the Madonna. On February 20, 1743, while lighting a lamp in front of the holy image, the sexton noticed that the face of the Madonna was shinier than usual. Looking more closely, he saw large water-like drops trickling down from the Blessed Virgin’s forehead onto her cheeks and chest. After long deliberation, ecclesiastical authorities established that the drops were made of human sweat. The following day, Malta was hit by a devastating earthquake—but buildings did not collapse and not a single life was lost. Pope Pius VI granted a plenary indulgence to those who visited the painting on the feasts of the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception, with a decree issued from St. Mary Major in Rome on July 7, 1788.

After the victory of the Great Siege, Senglea took the title of Città Invicta—the Undefeated City. The Sengleans erected a church in honor of the Virgin’s Birth and Our Lady of Victory, to serve as a memorial of her intervention—today’s parish basilica and Marian sanctuary. The titular statue is a truly unique sculpture: a dainty, almost miniature figure in painted wood dating to 1618. Owing to its small size, the titular statue became known as Maria Bambina—Child Mary or Little Girl.

According to ancient manuscripts archived in the parish, the Bambina was found floating together with other remains of a galleon shipwrecked off one of the Dalmatian islands. The captain of an Austrian galley retrieved the statue from the sea and decided to donate it to a church on the first Christian land he reached. Malta was his next destination, and the statue was donated to the Senglea parish church, following a request by two of his passengers who happened to be Sengleans.

Extraordinary events recorded in the parish archives are connected to the statue. In 1718, the Marian image was carried in a penitential pilgrimage following a long period of disastrous drought; while the procession was returning to Senglea, it began to rain heavily. In 1813, a deadly plague was devastating Malta: the Senglea chapter solemnly vowed that if the town was spared, it would perpetually hold three votive processions annually. Through divine protection and with Our Lady’s intercession, Senglea was spared, and the pledge has been observed ever since. The most remarkable event came on September 8, 1943—the feast of Mary’s Nativity—when the archpriest of Senglea received news that Italy had unconditionally surrendered to the Allies, while the procession with the titular statue moved through the bombed streets of the city.

These venerated Marian images, considered miraculous by the faithful, bear witness to the islands’ profound Marian devotion. They evidence a deeply rooted ancient tradition that continues to inspire and attract pilgrims from around the world. Through these sacred images, Malta’s enduring legacy of Marian reverence and its historical significance are vividly preserved, offering a powerful testament to the universality and enduring strength of the Christian message.

Whether through centuries-old traditions or modern-day pilgrimages—from the Melita Mariana route across Malta and Gozo to the Camino Mariæ Melitensis linking the archipelago to the broader European pilgrimage network—the reverence for these Marian symbols beats at the heart of Mediterranean Christian faith. For practical travel information and to plan your visit to Malta's sacred sites, visit VisitMalta.