Hundreds of devotees took part in a penitential pilgrimage at Għajnsielem on Sunday behind the miraculous crucifix of Valletta's Ta’ Ġieżu church.

The crucifix was taken to Gozo last week to mark the Jubilee of Hope and the beginning of Lent. 

Bishop Anton Teuma led the pilgrimage from the Franciscan church of St Anthony of Padua to the square in front of the parish church of Our Lady of Loreto where a celebration was held.

The celebration at Ghajnsielem's main square. Picture Edward Said.

In a pastoral letter read out in all churches on March 2, Mgr Teuma said the visit of the image of the Crucified Lord in Gozo at the beginning of Lent was to be considered not merely as a historical event of devotion towards a holy image, but also an invitation to Christians to gaze once again upon that “great sign of hope that incarnates the entire love of God for us all: Christ Crucified”.

The crucifix was also taken to Giozo at the outbreak of the second world war to protect it from bombing. 

The holy image, which dates back to the 17th century, is attributed to artist Frate Innocenzo di Petralia, and is looked after by the Archconfraternity of the Miraculous Crucifix. It is one of the oldest images of the Crucified Lord to be revered in the Maltese islands.

The crucifix is carried in Għajnsielem.