The feast of the Nativity of Our Lady is being celebrated at Ta’ Savina church in Victoria on Saturday and Sunday. Mgr Lawrenz Sciberras will lead celebrations on Saturday, while Xagħra archpriest, Mgr Carmelo Refalo, will celebrate Mass and deliver the homily on Sunday at 5pm.

The church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has existed since medieval times. It was first documented in 1445 and by 1479 it had become a parish church for a section of Victoria. It served its parishioners until the catastrophic siege of Gozo in 1551.

The church, rebuilt in 1900, was consecrated on February 17, 1904. The statue of the Nativity (il-Bambina), by well- known sculptor Wistin Camilleri, has been venerated since 1934.

The Nativity altarpiece, by an unknown artist, features a detailed and invaluable portrayal of the fortifications of the Citadel and the medieval Matrice (cathedral).

Ta’ Savina church, known as the church of perpetual adoration, is run by Mgr Joe Vella Gauci.

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