Our Lady Of Lourdes Bell Tower - Il-Mgarr, Gozo, Malta - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

This chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes stands on a promontory overlooking Mgarr Harbour. It enjoys spectacular views of the Gozo Channel and the Island of Malta and can be easily reached on foot or by car from the harbour or from the village of Ghajnsielem.

A statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes sculpted by Antonio Busuttil was placed in a natural cavity beneath the promontory in 1879. On 3rd June 1888, it was blessed by Bishop Pietro Pace who urged devotees to help him raise a chapel. The foundation stone was laid just one week later and the chapel opened in summer 1893. It was consecrated in 1949.

Designed by Emmanuel Galizia and built by stonemason Wigi Vella of Zebbug, the chapel has a Gothic style with a steeply pitched roof, lance windows and a series of buttresses topped with pinnacles. A circular rose window adorns the gable over the main door while, at the other end, a square tower is topped by a tall, slender spire. The tower has a set of five bells and at its top, immediately under the spire, there are four clock faces.

Inside, the chapel has a ribbed Gothic vaulted roof and is dominated by a statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes. This statue was sculpted by Carlo Darmanin and donated by Karolina Mamo-Bruno in 1893.

The feast is celebrated on the 11th February, the date of the first apparition of Lourdes. Throughout the feast many people from all over the island flock to the chapel to hear mass and pray.

Address of Tower: Madonna ta' Lourdes Triq Ix-Xatt Mgarr, Gozo Malta Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 5 Relevant website?: [Web Link] Rate tower: Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Unknown

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Date Logged Log   09/16/2021 PetjeOp visited it