The National Shrine of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu in Gozo is one of the most revered Marian sanctuaries in the Mediterranean. Its origins trace back to a small chapel known as Tal-Ġentili, documented before 1545. In 1575, Apostolic Delegate Pietro Duzina ordered its demolition, but an accident interpreted as divine intervention prevented this. In 1587, Pinu Gauci took over and commissioned the miraculous painting of the Assumption of Mary.
In 1883, two humble villagers, Karmni Grima and Franġisk Portelli, experienced divine apparitions and miraculous healing. The Virgin asked Karmni to pray three Hail Marys for the three days her body lay in the tomb. From that moment, a national devotion was born, with thousands flocking to the chapel for solace and grace.
The new neo-Romanesque basilica, completed in 1931, integrates the original chapel behind the altar. Beautiful mosaics by Fr. Marko Rupnik now adorn the façade and vast forecourt, while rooms filled with ex-votos testify to countless graces and miracles.
Honored by Pope Pius XI (basilica status in 1932), crowned by Saint John Paul II in 1990, gifted with a Golden Rose by Benedict XVI in 2010, and visited by Pope Francis in 2022, Ta’ Pinu continues to be a sanctuary of miracles, hope and healing. The Virgin’s tender call still echoes: “Come, come…”
- Address
Ta’ Pinu Road, 1704, Għarb GRB 1704, Malta
- Web
https://www.tapinu.org/ - Visiting Hours
Every day from 7:00 to 19:00 - What to see
Museums, Walls
