A close of the dome of the Xaghra (pronounced Sha-ra) parish church which was raised in 1892 on a design by the priest-architect Dun Guzepp Diacono, who was also parish priest.
A parish was established at Xaghra in 1688 by Bishop Cocco-Palmeri. The first stone of the current church was laid in 1815 on public land donated by Fra Gregoria Carafa, the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John. It was not completed before 1878 due to lack of funds. It was dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The church was raised to Archipresbyteral status 15 years later on March 1893. The beautiful church was given the title of a Basilica in 1967.
Thank you so very much for looking and for your lovely comments on yesterday's picture.
@janturnbull No, I cannot say it is a place of pilgrimage. The place of pilgrimage in Gozo is the Ta' Pinu Sanctuary, where it is said that the Holy Virgin appeared several times to a woman while returning home from her fields.
