Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 — Mosta, Malta
Posted by: 
prussel
N 35° 54.597 E 014° 25.550
33S E 448193 N 3974112
Monument in the sacristy at the back of the church Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta, commemorating the so called "Bomb Miracle of 9 April 1942"
Waymark Code: WM13VQH
Location: Malta
Date Posted: 02/25/2021
Views: 2
The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady (Maltese: Santwarju Bazilika ta' Santa Marija), commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta (Maltese: Ir-Rotunda tal-Mosta) or the Mosta Dome, is a Roman Catholic parish church and Minor Basilica in Mosta, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built between 1833 and the 1860s to designs of Giorgio Grognet de Vassé.
The Church is built in the neoclassical style, and its structure is based on the Pantheon in Rome. Its façade has a portico with six Ionic columns, which is flanked by two bell towers. Being a rotunda, the church has a circular plan with walls about 9.1 m (30 ft) thick supporting a dome with an internal diameter of 37.2 m (122 ft). At one time, the dome was the third largest in the world.
During World War II, the town of Mosta was prone to aerial bombardment due to its proximity to the airfield of RAF Ta Kali. At about 16:40 on 9 April 1942, the Luftwaffe dropped three bombs on the church, and two of them deflected without exploding. However, one 500 kg high explosive bomb pierced the dome and entered the church, where a congregation of more than 300 people was awaiting early evening mass.
The bomb did not explode, and a Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal unit defused it and dumped it into the sea off the west coast of Malta. This event was interpreted as a miracle by the inhabitants, and a similar bomb is now displayed in the sacristy at the back of the church, under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 (meaning "The Bomb Miracle, 9 April 1942").
from wikipedia