The feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy will be celebrated at the chapel of Il-Madonna tal-Ħniena in Xewkija on Friday.

Mass will be celebrated at 6.45am and the chapel will remain open until noon.

The evening celebration will be held at the Xewkija Rotunda.

A concelebrated Mass, led by archpriest Daniel Xerri, will be held at 5.30pm. The Xewkija children’s choir, directed by Amy Rapa, will take part.

The chapel of Il-Madonna tal-Ħniena is actually dedicated to the Apostle St Bartholomew.

It is strategically situated midway on the busy Victoria-Mġarr harbour road. Its existence is first recorded in 1592, but the chapel’s origin seems to go back many years, according to Gozo historian Joseph Bezzina in his book Gems of Gozo.

In 1643, notary Paolo di Lorenzo provided money for its reconstruction. The community in the vicinity nurtured great devotion to the apostle and the chapel. In fact, it is always documented in a relatively good state of repair.

Originally, the chapel had a very simple façade with a small parvis in front. In 1705, Feliċ Axiaq paid for the roofing of the parvis so that travellers to and from the harbour could find some shelter during storms.

Dun Ġużepp Attard, who started looking after the chapel in 1933, built a new vestry and an adjoining hall for the teaching of catechism. Between 1955 and 1956, the chapel was enlarged and the parvis was incorporated in the extension.

The enlarged chapel was blessed on February 10, 1957.

The present altarpiece was commissioned by Dun Pietru Aquilina, parish priest of Xewkija, in 1735. It is the work of Gian Nikola Buhagiar (1698-1752) and was paid for by Horatio Gilestri. It represents St Bartholomew interceding with the Virgin Mary of Mercy for the release of souls from the flames of purgatory, pictured in the lower left hand corner.

The bell tower of the chapel has just been restored, while the two bells are in Malta for restoration.

The chapel is open daily for Mass at 6.45am. On Sunday Mass is celebrated at 7am.