The first village one comes across when crossing over to Gozo from the main island of Malta is the village of Għajnsielem. It is spread out on the area that is to be found at the foot of the hill upon which the village of Nadur dominates the surroundings and only a stone’s throw from the other ancient village of Xewkija. This year, the locality celebrated four important anniversaries.
Centenary of Our Lady of Aviation
It was on March 24, 1920 that Pope Benedict XV proclaimed our Lady of Loreto as universal patron saint of all those who travel by air. Such a proclamation happily crowned a cherished wish of some pioneers of aviation.
The titular painting of Our Lady of Loreto.According to the Vatican’s official website, ‘‘this choice, explained Pope Benedict XVI, is in accordance with the tradition that attributes to angels the transportation of Mary’s house from Nazareth to Loreto”. The pope, however, added that there is another “flight”, of far greater significance for humanity, of which the Holy House was a witness, “namely the journey of the Archangel Gabriel, who brought to Mary the joyful news that she was to be the Mother of the Son of the Most High (cf. Lk 1:26-32)”.
The name of Our Lady of Loreto is linked with Għajnsielem since this is the only parish church on the Maltese islands that carries this name. A church in the limits of Gudja is also called after Our Lady of Loreto.
An old photo of the titular statue.Blessing of the old parish church
The devotion towards Our Lady of Loreto in Gozo and, specifically, in the Għajnsielem area is rooted in popular legend and local folklore.
According to an oral tradition, Angelo Grech, a local tiller of the land who used to recite the Holy Rosary on a daily basis, was shepherding his flock next to the old water fount known as ‘Hain Salem’ (the source of Salem). It was there that, while he was having some quiet time and relaxing after a long day in the fields, the Virgin appeared to him and asked him explicitly to erect a statue in her honour under the title of Our Lady of Loreto. She even showed him the spot where she wanted the statue to be placed.
Later on, when the population of Għajnsielem began to grow in numbers and it was no longer possible for them to frequent the parish church in Nadur, the locals built a small church dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto.
On September 9, 1820, the parish priest of Nadur, Dun Anton Scasciato, together with his clergy and accompanied by the confraternities of his parish, walked down to Għajnsielem and blessed the first stone of the new church. On the morrow, builder Francesco Gafà began to work on the building of the church. It took him 10 years to build the new church, whose design was inspired by the church of St James of Victoria.
The church was to have the shape of a Latin cross and was built in the Doric style. The parish community of Għajnsielem was overjoyed to see the church ready to welcome its members for worship; their dream had come true.
Parishioners waiting for the feast procession. Note that most women are wearing a faldetta.Blessing and inauguration of the titular painting
The titular painting of Our Lady of Loreto, revered in the old parish church of Għajnsielem, is the work of renowned Gozitan painter Mikiel Busuttil. Local contemporary painter Vince Caruana says that the titular painting was brought down from Nadur on the same day of the blessing of the first stone and refers to both the spiritual and aesthetical significance of the painting.
Indri Xuereb, the procurator of the church, paid 200 scudi for the painting that was completed on August 15 of the same year, 1820. The 19th-century titular altar painting was recently restored and conserved by Manuel Zammit of Żejtun over a period of two years; the work was completed in 2014. With the removal of the overpaint, Busuttil’s signature and year of execution were revealed on the drapery of the Virgin.
The titular feast and early development
It seems that the roots of the external festivities in honour of Our Lady of Loreto in Għajnsielem developed around the year 1820, the same year in which the first stone of the new church was laid. The participation of the clergy of Nadur, together with the fraternities of the same parish in the feast of that year, set the ball rolling. Since then, the people of Għajnsielem never looked back. When the building phase of the church was finished, it was given the title of viċendarja.
The official festivities took place on September 16, 1820, on the Sunday succeeding the 9th. Canon Salvatore Bondi Cauchi. of the Collegiate Chapter of the Matrice, presided over the concelebration in the morning that same day and, after the Gospel, parish priest Dun Anton Sciasciato of Nadur delivered the panegyric. In the afternoon, Friar Ġwann Franġisk of Gudja, who was in charge of the Franciscan Capuchin Community in Victoria, presided over vespers and preached for the occasion.
Two centuries have passed since the people of Għajnsielem were given a new church that would eventually be the first stepping-stone in the long process that would make the village community a parish church; Għajnsielem was eventually given parish status in 1855.
Today, the village can boast of a church built in the Gothic-Lombard style with a belfry that can be seen from kilometres away and large enough to address the pastoral needs of the ever-growing community. With the fortress of Chambray on one side and Ta’ Kenuna Tower on the other, the picturesque village enjoys a cool sea-breeze in summer and fresh air in winter with its only disadvantage being that of providing the only motor-way and connecting point between Mġarr Harbour and the rest of Gozo.
The inauguration of the titular statue of Our Lady of Loreto in August 1920.