When Mary visited the island of Gozo — and miraculous oil flowed

The Church of the Visitation of Our Lady to St. Elisabeth in Għarb, Gozo, has ancient origins. The church is also known as “Il-Knisja taż-Żejt” (Church of the Oil) due to a strong tradition surrounding it.  

Għarb is a small village, but the home of various ancient chapels, hallowed sites and sanctuaries, including the world renowed national Marian Shrine in Gozo, the Madonna Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary. The beginnings of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Ta’ Pinu are so ancient that they are lost in the midst of time. 

The original local church was a small chapel, known as Ta’ Ġentile (Of the Gentile), dedicated to the Assumption. Recent studies by Fr. Joseph Bezzina, show that it dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. The name Ta’ Ġentile was dropped and the church became known as Ta’ Pinu (Of Pinu, or Philip) – named after Pinu Gauci, who had become the procurator of the church in 1598.

Eventually, due to the apparitions of 1883, the modest unknown chapel in the countryside became a revered Marian shrine, visited by droves of Gozitans, Maltese, and people beyond the sea! Indeed, a few years later, the decision was taken to build a worthy sanctuary, in honor of the Mother of God, to accommodate huge crowds – today’s Basilica. 

Logically devotion to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elisabeth goes back to the beginnings of Christianity, however, the celebrations and the feast of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth, have their origin in the 14th century. This feast was instituted in 1389 by, in a way, two popes - Pope Urban VI as the one who intended to institute it, in hopes of obtaining the end of the Great Western Schism, and Pope Boniface IX who actually signed the decree (Superni Benignitas Conditoris - 9th November 1389), since Urban VI had died before he could carry through. Sixty years later (26th March 1451) Pope Nicholas V issued his own decree Romanorum Festa Pontificum as a continuation of Pope Boniface’s work. 

In Għarb there were several small churches, some of which were abandoned and fell in total disrepair, and others were profaned. In the 16th century, one of the churches, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (Santa Marija Assunta or Santa Marija), the Patroness of the Maltese Islands, began to be referred to as the Church of Virtue - “Sancta Maria Virtutis” or “tal-Virtu” (Our Lady of Virtue in Latin and Maltese, respectively).

“Tal-Virtu” was given to churches or chapels that had great devotion and where graces were granted. In 1554 it was replaced by a church dedicated to the Visitation of Mary to Elisabeth. It was also mentioned by Monsignor Pietro Dusina in his apostolic visit report of 1575.

In 1657, Bishop Balaguer made a pastoral visit to this church and found it in a very poor condition, to the extent that he profaned it. However, the villagers worked hard and restored it, reopening it on June 17, 1663. Nevertheless, years went by, and the need was felt for this church to be rebuilt. Construction of the new church began in 1675 and was completed three years later. In 1679, Bishop Molina created it a parish, the first in the western part of Gozo. 

It served as a parish until the present parish church of Għarb was built in 1729, which is also dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth. The parish church is also a basilica and a collegiate church. By his decree of July 29, 1842, Pope Gregory XVI, bestowed upon this hallowed church a plenary indulgence to be granted from First Vespers until sunset on the principal feasts of the Madonna, namely those of the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, the Purification, the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Visitation. 

The Feast of the Visitation in Għarb is a prominent religious event and celebration. The feast day is on May 31 and the village festa takes place on the first weekend of July. This festivity honours Our Lady’s Visitation and holds great significance for locals, tourists, and pilgrims from across Gozo and Malta.

The Feast is a lively and colourful convergence of religious devotion, cultural heritage, and communal unity. Diverse activities are organized throughout the festive days, encompassing religious rites, processions, and cultural engagements. The village undergoes a transformation with festive embellishments, comprising banners, flags, and intricate and artistic street decorations. Radiant lights and lanterns bedeck the streets, creating a spirited and jubilant environment. Processions traverse Għarb’s streets, bearing statues and relics. The pinnacle of these celebrations is the procession on the primary feast day, featuring the Visitation of Our Lady’s statue carried by devotees. This spectacle includes marching bands and fireworks, amplifying the atmosphere of jubilation.  

Exceptional church services are held throughout the event, including Masses and religious ceremonies. These gatherings amass a significant crowd, presenting an occasion for contemplation and prayer. Musical performances, traditional dances, craft exhibitions, and local culinary stalls grant visitors an immersive cultural experience. The Għarb Feast of the Visitation is a pivotal juncture uniting the community to celebrate their faith and cultural heritage. It offers a distinctive prospect for visitors to immerse themselves in the vibrant customs and deep-rooted religious fervour of the Archipelago’s people. 

The Knisja taż-Żejt is a site of miracles and graces. Its ex voto paintings, which are now housed in the parish museum, are testimonies of graces granted by the Madonna. The origin of its name is a strong tradition of a a miraculous happening, passed on from generation to generation.  

In the distant past there was a very poor woman called Marija (Mary), whose only source of income was through weaving lace. She was a religious woman, a very devout votary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to this little church in Gharb. Throughout her life she visited this sanctuary and prayed fervently. She was always the first one in the church, early in the morning, and the last to leave in the evening.

Marija accepted her poverty as the will of God with humility, and she indeed thanked Him for everything she had. Every day she would pick flowers from the fields and offer them to the Madonna in this church. Marija removed the flowers that wilted, and replaced them with fresh ones. Her regret was that she did not always have the means to buy oil for the lamp in front of the Holy Virgin’s image. So her prayer was very often to have the money to buy and offer this oil to the Blessed Mother.  

One day Mary felt unwell, and could not even weave lace. She didn’t have the strength to walk to the church to pray and light the Madonna's lamp. So, in the silence of her home, she prayed and asked the Madonna to help her heal. Suddenly, when she was alone in her room, a beautiful shining woman, dressed in white appeared to Marija. Astounded, she heard the glowing lady ask her to get out of bed and go to church with a jar. She obeyed without hesitation. As soon as she arrived near the chapel, she saw a stream of oil coming out from under this tiny church. At first she thought she was dreaming, since never had anyone seen streams of water there, let alone oil! 

It was a large stream, gushing from everywhere! Then she remembered what the beautiful lady had told her. Marija was now convinced that the lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary, and hence, this was a Marian intervention and miracle. She filled up the jar, knowing that there was enough oil to light the lamp in front of the Madonna and the whole of Gozo!

The news spread like wildfire, excuse the pun, throughout Gozo, and droves came from across Gozo and Malta. Some of these pilgrims took oil as a souvenir, and as a sign of devotion and faith, but there were others who collected it to make a buck. One night a strong fire ignited the stream until it dried up and disappeared. 

A beautiful arch with an iron gate leads to the entarnce of the church. The facade of the church is typical 17th-century architecture. At the corners it has two long Doric style pillars that support the entire entablature. On its cornice there is a Vignola style frontispiece whose curves descend towards two pyramids in the shape of tongues of fire. On the back of the chapel there is a square bell tower with a statue of St. Paul at the top. The parvis is connected to a cemetery. The church has a rectangular plan with three altars, one in the choir and two in side aisles. The titular painting is located between two Ionic style pillars and in a curtain-like perspective. Behind the church there is a smaller chapel, previously used to keep the dead before burial, a kind of mortuary room. The altarpiece, probably created in the 1651, shows the Madonna welcomed by St. Elizabeth and St. Joachim. This painting replaced an older one, which today is housed in the Parish’s museum.

Apart from the altarpiece (the titular painting), the altar is also adorned with two other beautiful works, made in 1967 by the Gozitan artist Paul Camilleri Cauchi. One shows St. Joseph and the Madonna while the other depicts the Holy Trinity anointing Mary of Nazareth as the Mother of the Redeemer.

The paintings of the other two altars depict St. Anne and St. Mary Magdalene. The church also houses a Crucifix created by the sculptor Wistin Camilleri in 1920, replacing another that today is in the Archbishops’s Seminary in Rabat; and a statue of St. Joseph. Another stupendous work of art is the Via Sagra, by Alfred Camilleri, executed in 1966. This was paid for by the great benefactor of this church, Dun Alwiġ Mizzi. 

Although this church was not close to the military centers or strategic places, in World War II it was still hit twice by enemy bombs, in March and July, 1942. The adjacent cemetery suffered the worse damage, and to this day large holes in palm tree trunks, caused by the shrapnel, are witnesses to these attacks. These bombings also damaged a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which was repaired at the expense of the benefactress Marianna Camenzuli. Recently the church underwent restoration and conservation works. Today, it is in very good condition and regular Masses are celebrated in it. 

This little church of the Visitation, and the Divine graces through Mary surrounding it, are proof that God loves the meek, the humble the “forgotten.” It also shows that a pilgrim or any tourist visiting the Archipelago finds faith and devotion everywhere, no matter how remote a place might seem.

References 

Busuttil R. Il-Knisja tal-Viżtazzjoni ta’ Marija Santissima lil Santa Elizabetta fl-Gharb (The Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth in Gharb). Kappelli Maltin

Għarb Basilica. Government of Malta – FONDI.eu 

Kwasniewski P. Revisiting the Visitation of the Blessed Virin Mary. One Peter 5 - Rebuilding Catholic Culture. Restoring Catholic Tradition [accessed 11th March 2025]