Churches

Naxxar Parish Church (and Office)

The Naxxar Church was made a Parish by Bishop De Mello in 1436 and the villages of Mosta and Għargħur were subject to it. In fact Bishop De Mello had listed it as one of the ten parishes of Malta and it was the first parish dedicated to Our Lady after that of the old Cathedral. In 1575, the matrix of Naxxar had under its control a total of 36 churches – 14 in Naxxar, 5 in Għargħur, 12 in Mosta and 5 in the neighbourhood of these villages. The church, as we know it today, was built between 1616 and 1630 when there were 1200 inhabitants in Naxxar and it was felt that a larger church was needed. The design was made by the architect Tommaso Dingli, one of the best architects of the time, whilst the Parish Priest was Father Ġakbu Pace.

The choir and the area around it was redesigned in 1691 on the design of Lorenzo Gafa', the same architect who had designed Mdina Cathedral. The Parish Church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Alpheran on the 11th December 1732.

The church has a choir, two transepts and a nave and is 130 feet long. The width of the transept is 94 feet and the nave 30 feet. The large bell was made by the founder Toni Tanti in 1840 and cost £225. The façade of the church has two clocks, one showing the actual time whilst the other is a painting and shows the time as a quarter to eleven (11.45).

The main painting shows the Birth of Our Lady which is attributed to the school of Mattia Preti (1613-1699) whilst at the side there are two paintings by Stefano Erardi (1650-1733) which show the Flight to Egypt and the Adoration of the Magi. Other paintings which show the Madonna and Child, St Cajetan, St Aloysius Gonzaga, Our Saviour and Our Lady of Sorrows are the work of the Maltese painter Franġisku Zahra (1680-1765). In the sacristy hangs the antique painting showing Our Lady of the Rosary which was painted on wood by Gio Maria Abela in 1595.

The main door, which is made of bronze, is dated 1913 and is the work of Pio Cellini. The door is made up of four main panels depicting the coat of arms of Our Lady, Patroness of Naxxar; the village coat of arms; the coat of arms of Pope St Pius X and the coat of arms of the family Żammit who were the benefactors of this door. In 1952 this door was dismantled, and renovated and cleaned by the blacksmith Mastru Lucens Aġius. The expenses involved were once more paid for by the same family Żammit.

The statue of the Vitorja, which feast is celebrated on the 8th September, was imported from Rome whilst the statues of the Good Friday Procession are the work of a Maltese craftsman.

Naxxar was one of the first villages which had the statues of the Passion of Our Lord and in fact it is believed that the procession started being held just after 1750. On the 9th November 1787, the body of the martyr St Vittorio was brought from the cemetery of St Calepodio of Rome and is found in the altar in the choir

Sanctuary of Divine Mercy Jesus

Chapels
In the Naxxar area, there are various chapels, including the chapel of the Immaculate Conception which was built in the 18th Century; St Lucy’s chapel; the chapel of the Shipwreck of St. Paul situated at San Pawl tat-Tarġa; Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist; the chapel of St James the Apostle; Santa Maria tax-Xagħra; the Assumption of the Virgin in Magħtab which was built in the 18th Century; the Annunciation of the Virgin at Salina which was built in the 16th Century; the church of St. Michael the Archangel in Salina; that of St John the Evangelist and that of St Mary of the Angels in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.

St Paul's Chapel
St John Baptist Chapel
St Mary Xaghra Chapel