Conserving Għarb’s Ecclesiastical Heritage

The Basilica of the Visitation is one of the finest baroque churches in the Maltese Islands. The modelled façade with angled splays is unique and elegantly dominates the west Gozitan landscape. The restoration project involved the restoration of the main façade, the belfries and the dome. It also included a new external lighting system designed by Eng Vincent Rapa, which will remain part of his professional legacy.

The restoration of the old Taż-Żejt parish church included the restoration of a complex of monuments consisting of the entrance archway, the passage leading to the church, the parish church and the funerary chapel. Some holes left by shrapnel from a World War II bomb blast were rediscovered and left exposed as part of the building history.

San Dimitri chapel is located within one of the most breathtaking Gozitan landscapes. It has front and side parvis from where one can savour the surrounding hilly landscape and west coast.

The village cross monument is located in front of the baroque Visitation Basilica. It is typical of most Gozitan villages and usually served as a meeting point for the local dejma or defensive village groups.

All restoration materials used in the four components of the project were based on hydraulic lime. Stone replacement was used minimally, resorting to plastic repair with fibre-reinforced lime-based mortar. Cement plastering was removed and all stonework was painstakingly cleaned while protecting the patina.