The Basilica of Our Lady of Patronage is a small countryside church located in

Wied il-Għasri Wied may mean: Places *County of Wied, a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany *Wied (river), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany *Wied, Rhineland-Palatinate, a community in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany *Wied, Texas, an unincorporated area in Texas ...

, Malta. The facade of the chapel has four pillars in the

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

style, which hold up the two-storey building. Two small bell towers (one old, and one built in 2004) house three bells between them. The Basilica has a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

without a lantern.

The first church

The present site of the church was previously occupied by another as early as 1530, as documented by the historian Achille Ferris. This small chapel that was in place was dedicated to the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

and was built by the Cini family, the descendants of whom live in

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( mt, Ħaż-Żebbuġ) , also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Northern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish Churc ...

. In 1657, during a pastoral visit, the chapel was declared unfit for purpose, as it was unkempt and abandoned. The chapel was then rebuilt some time in the 18th century.

The second church

In 1656,

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...

gave

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

the title of Our Lady of Patronage. This title was then declared a universal devotion by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

. There is evidence that the devotion spread to

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

so much so that the new church built between 1737 and 1739 and consecrated on May 8, 1739, was dedicated to its present title. The builder and financial sustainer was the Rev. Thomas Saliba, whose family still lives in the village of

Għasri Għasri ( mt, L-Għasri) is an administrative unit of Malta, in the western part of the island of Gozo, with a population of 525 people (as of March 2014). By population, it is the smallest village in Gozo after San Lawrenz, and the third-smalle ...

. A pastoral visit in 1744 described the church as a long hall with a roof resting on five arches. The door looked southwards and one altar was made of precious

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

. The main

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

portrayed the Blessed Virgin wearing a mantle, with which she was covering a man. The altarpiece is still in use today and was painted by a local artist from

Senglea Senglea ( mt, L-Isla ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittorios ...

. Later on, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

was added, as well as other works of art, and a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

to support the maintenance of the chapel.

The third church

By 1750, the area surrounding the church was becoming more populated, and the chapel itself was place of pilgrimage. Thus, Rev. Saliba requested that the Grandmaster of the Order of St John give him a larger piece of land on which a bigger church could be built. The document granting him permission was received in March 1752. The new building was consecrated on 5 October 1754, while the present altar was consecrated by H.E. Vincenzo Labini in 1789.

Minor basilica

The church of Our Lady of Patronage was elevated to dignity of

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

, and affiliated with

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

in 1768. This made the church the first basilica in Gozo. Confirmation of this was given on March 7, 2004, after research in the

Vatican Archives , seal = Seal of the Vatican Secret Archives.svg , seal_width = 200 , seal_caption = Former seal of the Vatican Apostolic Archive , logo = , formed = , jurisdiction = , headquarters = Cortile del Belvedere, Vatican City , coordinates ...

by the then-rector the Rev. Mgr Joseph Zammit. In 1872, the area was raised to vice-parish (under the parish of

to better administer to the pastoral needs of the people. The chapel served as vice parish church until a new parish was established in 1921 with the newly built

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

serving as parish church.

List of rectors

References

{{reflist Basilica churches in Malta Għasri