The collegiate church of the Immaculate Conception is the chief monumental building in Cospicua. It miraculously escaped the World War II bombing which destroyed most of the town. It is rich in treasure and houses an exquisite work of art - the painting behind the high altar of Madonna and Child, by the 17th century painter Polidoro Veneziano of Abruzzo. The first church on the site dates back to 1584. This was enlarged in 1637 and again in later year until it was finally completed and consecrated in 1732. Pope Pius VII conferred Collegiate status on the church in 1828. It is said that the statue of the Immaculate Conception dates from 1689 and that it was sculpted in wood by Sr. Maria De Domenicis, a Carmelite nun.