Ta' Pinu Basilica

Ta' Pinu stands alone in the fields of western Gozo, a large Romanesque-revival church of local stone built between 1920 and 1931 around the older chapel where, in 1883, a woman named Carmela Grima reported hearing the Virgin call to her. Pilgrims began coming, and the shrine has been the focus of Gozitan devotion since. A corridor of ex-voto offerings, letters, crutches and photographs left in thanks, runs beside the sanctuary.

What to look for

• The ex-voto corridor - walls of offerings, letters and crutches left by pilgrims.
• The original chapel - the older wayside chapel kept inside the newer building.
• The stone interior - the church built entirely of Gozitan limestone.
• The isolated setting - a large basilica standing alone in open fields.

When to go

Year round; the church keeps daily hours and closes during services. Major Marian feasts bring pilgrimages. Mornings are quietest.

What to expect

The building is twentieth century and of no great architectural interest; the significance is devotional. It stands isolated and there is little else nearby. Coach groups arrive in batches.

Nearby

Gharb is nearby, and Dwejra is southwest.