Restoration work is under way on a street shrine at tas-Sellum area in Xagħra.

The shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy (Madonna tal-Ħniena) is being restored by the Gozo Ministry’s Resto-ration Unit.

The shrine, erected around 1814 as thanksgiving from the deliverance of plague in Xagħra, suffered some structural damage by lightning last month.

Along the years, the shrine, which is adorned with the stone statue of Our Lady (pictured) holding the infant Jesus and a soul in purgatory asking for the intercession of Our Lady, had several unprofessional interventions, losing much of its original architectural stonework.

The design of the shrine shows that the statue of Our Lady was already in place when the niche was erected.

Up to the present time, there are no documents or evidence which show who was the sculptor of the statue or who took the initiative to build the niche.