This neo-Romanesque church, which soars to an impressive height of 61 metres (200 feet), was constructed between 1920 and 1931 on the site of an earlier 16th<\/sup> century chapel, parts of which can be found behind the present-day altar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ta\u2019 Pinu holds an important and beloved place in the lives of Gozitans everywhere \u2013 even those living abroad. And each year hundreds of thousands of devoted Roman Catholics from all over the world make a special pilgrimage to Ta\u2019 Pinu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We interviewed the rector of Ta\u2019 Pinu, Fr. Gerard Buhagiar<\/strong> to find out more about this special church, its special events, and the pilgrimages that are made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Karmni Grima miracle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fr. Buhagiar has been rector of Ta\u2019 Pinu since 2008. He explained that Ta\u2019Pinu is central to the life of all Gozitans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe church has always been dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, even going back to the first chapel which dates back to 1545. But the tradition of devotional pilgrimages can be dated back to 22 June 1883, when a local woman called Karmini Grima was walking past the chapel, as it was then, and heard the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary calling her to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnce in the church she a voice from the painting of the Blessed Virgin, which was in the chapel, asking her to recite three Hail Marys in honour of the three days that our Lady rested in the tomb before her assumption into heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe kept this spiritual experience a secret for a while but then found that a friend, Fran<\/strong>\u0121<\/strong>isk<\/strong> Portelli, had also experienced a call from the Blessed Virgin in the same place. Various miracles were reported over the years involving people recovering from terminal illness, including the mother of Grima\u2019s friend, after prayers had been made to the Madonna Ta\u2019 Pinu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first pilgrims started coming in around 1919 and then the present basilica was constructed incorporating the original chapel, including the devotional painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continued importance of Ta\u2019Pinu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fr. Buhagiar also said that this image is so important to Gozitans that copies of the painting can be found in shrines in all the places that Maltese and Gozitan people have emigrated to over the years, including the United States, Australia, India, Europe, and even Peru. When visiting their homeland, these emigrants will make a point of visiting Ta\u2019 Pinu to offer thanks for their safe journey.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cMany people come here to pray for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary when they have health or other problems, \u201c said Fr. Buhagiar. \u201cThen many of these people return to Ta\u2019 Pinu to give testimony to their prayers being answered. These votive offerings (ex-voto<\/em>) can be seen decorating the walls of two rooms either side of the altar at Ta\u2019 Pinu and include written stories, photos and various objects silver hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another important aspect of Ta\u2019 Pinu is the annual presentation of babies for baptism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn the first Saturday closest to 2nd<\/sup> February each year, the Bishop of Gozo conducts a beautiful ceremony. After the babies have been baptised the Bishop personally presents each child to the devotional painting of The Blessed Mother of Ta\u2019 Pinu, and the parents pray to ask to the Mother of God to protect and love their children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pilgrimages to Ta\u2019 Pinu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta\u2019 Pinu is visited all year round by pilgrims from near and far. Fr. Buhagiar said that in 2016, just under 400,000 people visited the shrine \u2013 that\u2019s an increase of 10% compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two main annual devotions at Ta\u2019 Pinu that attract pilgrims in large numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur main feast is held on 15 August every year and we have a tradition called The 15 Wednesdays<\/strong>. This begins on the first Wednesday in May and continues until 15 August. Every Wednesday for 15 weeks there is a pilgrimage to Ta\u2019 Pinu, which is open from 5.00am until 10.30pm,\u201d said Fr. Buhagiar<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMany people will make the effort to come along on all 15 Wednesdays. And we usually expect around 2,000 people to attend the vigil mass in front of the church, which is held on 14 August.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThe other important devotion is The Feast of Our Lady of Ta\u2019 Pinu. This is held on 22 June and marks the anniversary of the Karmni Grima miracle. On this day Ta\u2019 Pinu opens at 4.00am and remains open until 11.00pm. The main celebration is a mass held at 9.00pm by the Bishop of Gozo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMany pilgrims to Ta\u2019 Pinu also like to climb G\u0127ammar Hill, located opposite the church, stopping at the 14 statues made from Gozitan marble that represent The Way of the Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd in 2015 Ta\u2019 Pinu inaugurated The Pilgrim\u2019s Way \u2013 comprising five niches containing frescoes. The niches are placed on the final kilometre of the main road leading to Ta\u2019 Pinu. Pilgrims can walk from one niche to another, stopping to meditate along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Things to see at Ta\u2019 Pinu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While the size and architecture of Ta\u2019 Pinu is certainly impressive, the church interior also has many attractions, including beautiful windows, sculptures, and mosaics. Ta\u2019 Pinu is known as \u2018The Oasis of Peace\u2019 and offers a quiet and cool sanctuary from the outside world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Museums<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fr. Buhagiar recommends visiting The Sanctuary Museum which houses paintings by two 20th<\/sup> century Maltese artists: Giuseppe Biffra and Emvin Cremona. You may also see the silver heart ex-voto<\/em> containing a record of one of the first organised pilgrimages to the shrine in 1895.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also visit the Karmni Grima Museum located in her original farmhouse just 1 km from the church. Here you can get a feel for how people lived in rural Gozo in the 19th<\/sup> century and explore various artefacts related to Karmni Grima and Fran\u0121isk Portelli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 9.00am and 4.00pm and on Sunday from 9.00am to 12.30pm. Many people like to walk from the Karmni Grima Museum to Ta\u2019 Pinu, retracing the route she took on the day of the miracle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Papal visits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ta\u2019 Pinu is revered by all in the Catholic church and was honoured to receive its first papal visit on 26 May 1990. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass on the open space (known as the parvis) in front of the church to thousands of pilgrims, who had gathered there from the Maltese Islands and from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring his visit, the pope decorated the famous painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary with five golden stars in the shape of a crown, to mark the devotion of the Maltese people to Our Lady,\u201d <\/em>said Fr. Buhagiar.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n \u201cOn 18 April 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited Malta but didn\u2019t come across to Gozo. However, we took the miraculous painting of Our Lady over to Malta for this special occasion and the Pope placed a golden rose in front of the painting, and invited those gathered there to pray to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe painting remained in Malta for a week so people could visit and worship there. A national pilgrimage then followed when we brought the painting back to Gozo. All the ships and boats in the Gozo Channel were full of people. The image was placed on a special truck and we stopped at each parish church we passed by, so parishioners could offer flowers and prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven when the church is closed, many local people come to Ta\u2019 Pinu in their cars to say a prayer in front of the church,\u201c says Fr. Buhagiar. \u201cWe hope that the new mosaics will not only help them to pray during the night when they come to the church, but will also inspire the many visitors and pilgrims who visit Ta\u2019 Pinu.\u201d Other future plans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fr. Buhagiar said that he has seen an increase over the last two years in the numbers of visitors to Ta\u2019 Pinu from Poland and Slovenia. Many organised pilgrimages are also made from Italy, Ireland, Germany, and many English speaking countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To cater for this increased interest, Fr. Buhagiar said that Ta\u2019 Pinu was planning to open a small retreat house for pilgrims. Other plans include establishing a new pilgrimage walk, perhaps from Mgarr in the south of Gozo to Ta\u2019 Pinu, and the creation of a biblical garden on G\u0127ammar Hill, alongside The Way of the Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMany pilgrims and visitors suffer from hayfever,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we are gradually replacing the acacia trees with trees and plants mentioned in the bible. When pilgrims walk up the hill and pass the stations of the cross, they will be able to reflect on the significance of the plants they see around them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For a small island, Gozo has a lot of churches \u2013 some 46 in all, varying from small village chapels…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,45,40,49,48],"tags":[20,21,14,22,24],"class_list":["post-162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activity","category-cultrual","category-things-to-do-in-gozo","category-traditions","category-what-to-see-in-gozo","tag-churches","tag-heritage","tag-things-to-do-2","tag-traditions","tag-what-to-see-in-gozo"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Local](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Dun-Gerard-Buhagiar-mal-Pope-Francis-1024x714-1-1024x630.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/maxresdefault-1024x576-1.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ta-pinu.jpg\")
![\"ta](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ta-pinu-2-1920x630.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Statues](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ta-pinu-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"](\"https:\/\/demo-551.avantio.dev\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPII-golden-stars-e1417682578102-945x630.jpg\")
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n