NOTRE DAME BASILICA

The village developed from the end of the 17th century, when Bishop David Cocco Palmeri turned the Chapel of St. Anthony into a parish church. Later, under the impulse of the great master Gregorio Carafa, the villagers decided to build a vast church, first dedicated to Our Lady of Graces and then to the nativity of the Virgin. The church, with a classical Latin cross plan, was rebuilt, even more vast, at the beginning of the 19th century. But a plague epidemic, which raged in 1814, killing more than a hundred people on the island, led to the suspension of the work. Resumed around 1825, the work continued under the impetus of Father Buttigieg, who became the first bishop of the island in 1864. The church was completed in 1850, blessed on 14 February 1855 and consecrated on 26 May 1878. The dome was only erected in 1892 and decorated inside with the works of Virginio Monti (1929-1930). The church was given the title of basilica in August 1967 and from 2000 to 2003 restoration work was carried out on the bell towers, the roof and the dome. The facade, baroque, has two bell towers, one of which houses a bell weighing almost 3 tons, the oldest of the 6 bells dating from 1770. The clock is by a Maltese artist. As for the marble coverings, they date from the 1950s. Its interior is rich in furniture, sculptures and paintings, with a very baroque style.