Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa

It church itself was constructed in the late 16th- early 17th  century;  a classic example of 17th century Renaissance architecture with a  roofed veranda, with the Parish Priest’s residence on top with the door on the left leading to the sacristy, which holds a remarkable collection of ex voto gifts and pledges showing the devotion of the locals towards Our Lady. This small church’s history however is much older that the late 16thcentury.

During a Pastoral Visit of Bishop Senatore De Mello in 1436, this cave was recorded as already having been established for a long time as one of the ten parishes of Malta. It also contains a Byzantine-style icon, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with Christ on her right arm. However, church harks back to the troglodytic tradition, as the icon and part of now-existing altar, form part of the rock.  Local lore states that the icon was painted by St. Luke on the  bare rock face of a natural cave in Mellieħa in the year 60 AD when he was shipwrecked on the island with St. Paul. Another tradition from 409 AD strengthens all this and claims that a number of Bishops visited this same cave and consecrated it as a church. What is certain though, is that the Byzantine-Sicilian icon  is a rare medieval artwork created around the early 11th century. The icon that remains the focal of this unique church; its devotion increased over the years, and thus the church was dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin and attracts pilgrims from all over the world.